The Moment He Cries
by MadameCrowe
Summary: Yaoi  When Minato suffers a mental breakdown in front of SEES after Nyx is released, Akihiko rushes to his side. A crush is formed, but only to have a middle man or woman appear. Minato tries to find out who keeps leaving him gifts in his locker.
1. A Crush, A Stalker&Dark Hour Phone Calls

**Hey everyone! I'm MadameCrowe this is my first official 'on a fan fiction site' fan fiction!** I've written many in the past but only now did I decide to test the waters with this one. I wrote this back in 2009 in a little journal I keep beside my bed. I finally got around to rewriting it and editing the hell out of it. It's MinatoxAkihiko, my favorite pairing in Persona 3, and it will soon be a yaoi. This is just a starter to see if anyone picks up on it. A bit of fun between two crushes and a middle man(woman actually). The beginning of this story if those of you have played the game, is actually an alternate universe of what could have happened if Minato had suffered a small emotional breakdown when Junpei yelled at him after Nyx had been released upon the world. I always wondered what Minato would have done if he hadn't let his 'gotta be tough' facade take over completely during the game. I wanted to see the protagonist as an everyday human being, in a sense, who falls in love with an unexpected person and will soon be forced to suffer the consequences of his "sinful" ways. No mature stuff first chapter, though. Felt it was too soon and needed a bit of playing with the characters before I let them have at it.

Please enjoy!

I am not the maker of Persona 3, nor do I make money off of my fantasies between the characters within this fanfiction. Also, review if you liked it or not! I'd love you hear from you all!

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><p>Chapter One: A Stalker, A Crush, and Dark Hour Phone Calls<p>

Silence was something that Minato seemed to take for granted until that evening, when Junpei stood before him, a finger swooping up to point at his face. "I can't believe you, of all people, would just stand around and do nothing! You had that… that… thing in you for ten whole years! How could you not know? So many people are terrified because you let it out!" Junpei's voice kept rising, his eyes burning holes into Minato's. It was an unnerving sight, seeing as the two had grown close over the last year.

"Junpei, don't be so-" Mitsuru said, trying to calm him down to no avail.

"No!" he yelled," I'm not gonna sit around while Mr. Special does nothing! Look at him! He's not even scared! He doesn't care about any of us!" Junpei shouted before heaving a disgruntled sigh and tossing his hands up in an almost defeated manner. He'd grown tired of yelling at the male, and instead found it more appealing to go for a walk, only wishing he could get away to do so.

"That's…" Minato started, his eyes quickly filling with tears. All eyes were on him as his flowed over with the salty tears. It was a huge eye-opener for everyone.

"I-I'm scared, too!" Minato screamed, hands balling up into fists, "You all sleep so well at night and you all say you envy my strength! Well, here's news for all of you: there isn't enough to go around! You think I'm so calm about all of this? Ryoji having been within me for ten damn years, I couldn't stop that!"

"Ah… Minato," Junpei's expression had changed dramatically, shifting now to a worried look. When the leader of everyone and the soon savior to mankind itself was crying, there was no way someone could continue to be angry.

"So stop yelling at me and deal with it yourself!" With that, Minato took himself to his room upstairs, quietly sniffling as he made his way up the stairs and down the hall. Fuuka had nearly compressed herself out of existence, turning out to be a mere ball dug deep in the corner of the couch. She'd been there since before the fight had started, and really wished she had gone with her instinct to go upstairs earlier. Mitsuru sighed, giving a cold look to Junpei as she went to console the girl on the couch. Yukari had already sworn to kick Junpei's ass whenever she had the chance, but Akihiko seemed to be the most upset about all of these happenings.

"Great job, Junpei," Akihiko growled, stalking himself up the stairs toward his friend's room, taking the steps two by two with ease. "Minato," he said through the door as rough knuckles gently tapped the barrier between them. He decided to try a lie, "Iori said he was sorry."

"Sanada… He didn't say that… He's too hard-headed to be so nice so suddenly," the black haired boy said, trying to speak loud enough for the other to hear. Minato sighed, rubbing his eyes as he sat himself on the edge of his bed. He felt so miserable and so used up. He'd refused long before this all happened, before he moved here, that he would attempt the act of showing almost no one any emotion or attachment. It wasn't hard, as he'd found himself liking the fact that he could go through his day unbothered by anyone and was able to focus on people watching, which seemed to be a small hobby of his. "You shouldn't lie," he barked, his eyebrows furrowing in an upset way toward the man at his door.

"Arisato, would you let me in?" Akihiko asked, placing his hand gently on the doorknob. Minato thought long and hard about it for a moment. A very long moment, it seemed, for it was only when Aki had given up and walked to the end of the hallway that Minato had swung open the door and stood, the two staring each other down in silence. They both knew each others thoughts without words. It was a reason that Minato had come to like Akihiko. Without smiles, glances, frowns, glares, anything to give him away, Akihiko knew what he felt before anyone else did.

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><p>"Sanada…"<p>

"Hm?" Akihiko looked to him, as they sat side by side on the bed, Minato's arms wrapped protectively around his own knees that were pressed against his chest. The tears had finally stopped, a mere hiccup gently jolting Minato's chest every now and then. They made Aki give quick glances to him when they forced themselves from his stomach, but nothing more. It worried him that he'd cried.

"You… aren't pissed at me are you?" Minato's tone was low and hushed and his eyes never strayed from the seemingly peculiar, and mostly non-existent, speck of dust on his knee.

"Of course not," Aki muttered quietly, "I have no reason to be mad. None of this, no matter what Iori says, is your fault. And I think your tears have made us all stronger." Minato watched as a grin curled upon Aki's lips, feeling the corners of his own wanting to twitch into a grin as well. He fought it off, and kept his mouth a thin line, refusing to show more emotion than he had to. It would've been to much to handle in one night.

"If you're seen in my room, you know Mitsuru won't like it, even if you are a boy," he said, trying to get away from the fact that he had cried. "But… I have a favor to ask. You might think it's weird." The male shrugged a shoulder, finally seeming to rid his knee of the imaginary dust as he pondered the thought of Akihiko leaving his room and how empty it would seem.

"Anything," Aki said, leaning towards him slightly.

"Call me, and talk until I fall asleep," he said with an averted look, almost embarrassed to say it.

"I can do that," Aki grinned, standing and patting the other on the shoulder. "I'll call you when I get to my room. I promise." Akihiko said, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked out and shut the door behind him. Minato couldn't help but dig his face into his knees to hide the small smile that had snuck onto his lips.

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><p>"So… What'd you wanna talk about?" Aki asked, seating himself at his desk in his dorm room. He was comfortable talking with the other, yes, but this situation felt different.<p>

"Nothing really…" the male breathed lightly on the other line. He hadn't moved from that same spot that Akihiko had left him in. "How's… How's boxing going?" he asked quietly, his gaze drifting to the carpet. Minato's mind grew fuzzy and hazed, unable to speak louder than a small, timid whisper. Akihiko did this to him, and Minato was sure he was being brainwashed by the man. Hence the reason he attempted to avoid contact with the male as much as possible.

"It's going well. I knocked out one of my teammates yesterday. He won't even come near me now," Aki stated with an amused chuckle, making Minato's body to tense and his heart to pound fast. The thought that the guy he liked so much was able to knock someone out or possibly kill someone was terrifying. He'd never be brave enough tell him his feelings. "How's your uh… you're on the swim team, right?"

"Ah, yeah," he murmured, "I don't really like it. I thought I would 'cause I like the water, but I really don't feel like staying in it. I don't even really like my teammates, which is an awful thing to do. Ugh, especially Yuko," he paused to unfold himself as he relaxed more into the conversation. He felt his back and shoulders ache from the tension that had built up.

For a few minutes there was a comfortable silence between them, each one's small, unnoticeable breaths or yawns, as it had been a tiring afternoon, being exchanged. Minato's lips curled into a grin, comfortable in the confines of his room to allow his mouth free reign to smile or frown. It was rare, but needed at a time like this.

Akihiko broke the silence. "Maybe you and I should talk more often."

The blue-haired male tensed again, curling his fingers away from the book he was about to pick up. Calming himself, he lifted the book and stuffed his homework inside its pages. "Why do you say that?" he asked, and paused to yawn. He stood and muttered a quick, "Hold on, I'm changing," and set the phone down on the desk, open and with Aki on the other line. Pressing the phone back between his shoulder and his ear he tossed a, "Go on," to Akihiko.

"Because if you don't like something or someone, it could bother you enough to harm you in battle."

That was it? Aki wanted to listen to the other banter on about his day so he wasn't hindered in Tartarus?

"Oh… yeah, harm me in battle, of course. And I do feel better after I tell you stuff." Minato said, reaching up and sliding a hand down his face in a 'I can't believe I almost fell for that' kind of way. Deflated, he plopped himself down onto the edge of his bed.

"See? If you'd held all of that dislike toward Yuko and your swim team inside, you could have been hurt later on." Akihiko sighed inwardly, knowing he'd almost given himself away. In an odd cross of fate, Aki and Minato seemed to be fighting the same battle.

"Yeah," Minato breathed. He thought he would finally get his answer tonight. He supposed not and shoved it to the back of his mind where the thought had called home.

"Plus," Akihiko continued, risking it. He smiled in his room as he began to change his own clothes as well to get ready for bed. Minato had dressed in his boxers and a pair of blue and white striped pajamas, but left the shirt off. The cool air was nice this time of year and he appreciated it. "I like talking to you, Minato. I have to put down the phone for a minute, hold on, okay?" he asked rhetorically as he set the phone down. It'd give Minato a moment to soak in what he'd just said as Aki took his time changing into his own pajamas.

Minato smiled wide, his cheeks burning gently. He felt like a stupid schoolgirl, and decided it best to keep himself under control, wiping the blush and smile from his face. It was also one of the few times he heard the other call him by his first name, and it sounded like soft wind-chimes coming from Akihiko's mouth. Once again feeling like an idiot, he sighed inwardly and waved his hands in front of him almost in attempt to bat the feelings from the air. "Okay," he breathed, knowing Akihiko had already put down the phone. It was odd how Minato felt like he was floating, almost in a daze, just because the other man took the time to notice him. He deemed he would never understand how Aki could do such a thing to him.

The silver-haired man sat down on his bed. He hadn't bothered to put a shirt on, worried that he was making the other wait on the line too long. "Arisato? You still there?"

"Y-Yeah, still here," he chimed, wanting to slap himself for sounding so giddy.

"Tell me a secret." Aki covered his mouth to yawn, leaving the act inaudible. He was tempted to put the phone on speaker, but thought better of it, knowing he'd fall asleep as soon as he relaxed.

"A secret?" he questioned, thinking it over. "You tell me one," he replied, shifting to tidy up his desk in attempt to veer away from the request given.

"I already did," he reassured, "I told you I like talking to you."

"Not much of a secret, wouldn't you think?" he quipped, giving a soft chuckle. "Fine," he huffed and took a moment to think. "I hate feet."

Akihiko snickered, "What? That's crazy." He leaned back and let his elbow lock, holding himself up by his arm as his shoulders slumped. Talking like this was helping to ease his own tension that had built up from Junpei's yelling. For a moment, he wondered what Mitsuru had

done with him.

"Your turn," he squeaked, worried that Akihiko would say something along the lines of having killed a man or was a wanted serial killer. Oddly enough, he wasn't sure if the butterflies in his stomach were because of fear of that, or how cool it would be to know someone with such a secret. He flipped on his desk lamp, flooding the room with light before he turned off his bedroom light.

"Alright," Akihiko sighed, thinking for a moment or two. "I uhh… never learned how to swim until last year."

"You're joking," Minato stated as a matter of fact kind of way. "I already told you, it's not right to lie."

"I'm not! Ask Mitsuru, she was there when I was told I might need physical therapy a couple years back for a hurt knee. They said that swimming was the easiest and best way to heal. I didn't do it, but later on I decided it would be best to learn. I swear, I'm not lying!"

"But you know how to swim now, right?" he asked, worried for a minute.

"Oh, yeah. I'm a fast learner."

Minato chuckled, sitting in his desk chair so he wasn't tempted to fall asleep. It seemed ironic that he'd asked the other man to only stay on the line and talk until he fell asleep, but it seemed as though neither of them wanted to pass up the opportunity to know each other better. "Mhm…" Minato nodded lightly, relaxing back in his chair. Akihiko grinned, knowing it was Minato's turn to give a secret up. He yawned and looked to the clock. It was getting so late, and soon they'd be up during the dark hour.

"I think we should get some sleep, too," Minato murmured as a yawn tried to attack him. Akihiko sighed gently, realizing he'd let his yawn slip passed him on accident. "Good night, Sanada," he breathed, switching off his desk lamp and flopping into his bed with the phone still attached to his ear.

"Good night, Arisato," Aki replied, pausing for a second to press the red button and crawl into his own bed. Minato watched as it took a moment for the call to disconnect, grinning softly as he pulled the covers up under his chin.

* * *

><p>The six words hit him like a ton of bricks. While some bullies would put, "I know where you live, bitch," or the infamous, "I know what you did last summer," Minato was greeted warmly by a "I know you like melon bread." It may have seemed threatening at first, almost making him want to turn around and see if someone had been watching him. But today had been a different kind of Tuesday. He'd woken up late and didn't get to eat breakfast. Perhaps, that was why there was a note stating that the unknown person knew of this small fact attached by a piece of tape to a plastic-wrapped melon bread. With a silent 'thank you' to that person, he removed it from his shoe locker and closed the small door. He knew that he'd been standing there for a solid ten minutes or so, wondering how and when the melon bread got there. Not liking the shifty looks he was given by his other classmates and with the smallest of grins, Minato took the snack to his homeroom class. And not once did he feel that it wasn't Akihiko watching over him. Not wanting to crush the treat, he held the corner of the pastry's wrapping gently between his teeth and slid the door to his homeroom open and closed in a jiffy. Knowing that this was from Akihiko made him seem as if he were glowing, even to the people that had never seen him make an expression. He sat and savored the small dessert for breakfast before class started.<p>

All the while, Akihiko had let himself be late by placing his own melon bread in Minato's shoe locker. Oblivious to what had already happened with his friend, he smiled wide and walked away as if nothing had ever happened. "Alright, let's hope he likes my surprise," the silver-haired male stated triumphantly and booked it to his class.

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><p>"What?" Minato breathed, looking in his locker at the end of the day to see another melon bread placed neatly inside. No note. No trace of who had done it. He sighed, taking the pastry and staring down at it. "Does he think I'm too skinny?" he asked quietly, oblivious of the other people around him going home. "I don't want to be fat…" he whispered, and thought of the taste of the pastry. He felt his mouth water, as he had skipped lunch today and opted to study instead. What was the harm, huh? He'd burn off the calories in swim practice anyways! "Guess he noticed I haven't been eating well," he mumbled in a questioning tone and threw his shoes on before leaving the school. He decided to go to his part-time job today, feeling guilty for calling in sick the past couple of days.<p>

Dragging his feet lightly, Minato found himself at his dormitory door. He took note that most of the downstairs lights were off and most of the students had probably gone to bed. With a sigh, he shuffled his way to his room and wished they had put in an elevator. Maybe Akihiko had told them not to so he made sure that everyone would have exercise. That contradicted what he'd done for Minato earlier that day and made the male tense with confusion. 'What's going on?' he thought, glancing at the slit of light from underneath Akihiko's dorm room door.

"Hey," Aki quipped, flinging his door open quickly to catch the other before he went to bed.

"Hey yourself," Minato replied, his hand on the door knob to his room as he looked over his shoulder.

"Like your snack? I wasn't sure which one to get, but I heard rumor from a friend that you liked the melon ones."

'What?' Minato questioned, his eyelids sliding down in a questionable stare at the boxer. "You didn't know I liked melon bread? It's my favorite."

"Oh! Then great!" Akihiko chimed, a grin on his face as he waved good night and receded back into his room.

"What's going on?" the male mumbled and landed his forehead against the door with a 'thunk!'

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><p>"Sanada! Sanada!" Minato huffed, chasing after the man. Wednesday morning was more confusing that the night before, leaving him bothered and flustered. After having called after Akihiko for several minutes, even in the train ride there, he figured it wouldn't hurt him to run a little to catch up. He hated the feeling of all eyes on him though as he raced up to his friend's side.<p>

"What's up, Arisato?" he asked, keeping his pace quick so he could get to his class on time. He stopped, feeling his friend's hand on grip his forearm.

"Who told you I like melon bread?"

"I just heard it when I was sitting in lunch. Apparently you've got some admirers up in the senior class. Kudos to you," he said with a small grin. In a flash his expression changed to a sorrowful one. "Listen, you seemed pretty angry about that yesterday and I'm sorry if it bothered you."

"No! It didn't bother me at all. I was just confused, is all." 'I'm still confused now, come to think of it,' he thought, letting go of the other man's arm. He shifted his weight when he felt the stares coming from the students around them.

Akihiko nodded, an apologetic expression crossing his face. "I'll leave a note next time. I don't like you mad."

"I wasn't mad," Minato muttered with a small shake of his head. "I'm not mad." The other man nodded in approval with a small grin, wanting to show him how much it meant to him that he wasn't mad at him. He saw Minato's lips twitch, and saw them stop, forming a straight line as if the male had thought better of smiling. Oh, what he'd do to touch those lips of his and feel them move as he smiled or just grinned. Pulling himself away, Akihiko realized he'd stepped a bit too close, towering slightly over the other.

"I'll see you later," he said, as if nothing had happened and moved himself to his class. Minato wanted to shove his hand in his chest and grab his heart in attempt to make it stop pounding so hard.

"I'm gonna die," he breathed, hand on his chest as he turned around. With a startled yelp, he jumped, seeing Junpei standing a bit too close behind him.

"Ah, sorry, Minato," he said with one of the saddest looks on his face. His eyes drifted to the floor, "Sorry. Really."

"About making me look like an idiot in front of my team or making me look like an idiot here in front of the rest of the school?" Minato asked in a sarcastic tone. Junpei chuckled, never looking him in the face. A pregnant paused passed between them as he thought it over. Lowering his hand from it's previous place on his chest, the blue-haired male shrugged, feeling kind of stupid. "I shouldn't have reacted like I did."

"No, you're perfectly fine," Junpei replied hurriedly, trying to correct his mistakes. "I'm the one that over-reacted. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I've never seen you like that, and believe me, I feel like the biggest jaskass in the world right now for making you like that."

"Junpei, can't we just call it even? I'd rather just forget it ever happened," Minato muttered with a shrug and watched as the other smiled his goofy smile and nod. "But," he started, giving a stern look and pointing a finger in the male's face, "If I ever hear a peep from you, or anyone for that matter, about what you saw me do, I'll kill you." With a stiff nod, Junpei was allowed into the classroom followed by Minato with a blank, yet comfortable, expression.

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><p>The time rolled around slowly until lunch. Akihiko moved himself to the group of girls sitting and chattering away. The hens' bickering and chit chat was starting to give him a headache, but he needed more information. He moved passed them, only to leave the room. The one he was looking for wasn't in that group today which meant he'd have to seek her out. It was easy enough since she had idly told him through small talk that she'd be sitting on the roof today. "Takeba," Akihiko piped up, grinning and sitting beside her. "I need some help."<p>

"What's up?" she asked, taking a sip of her bottled water before setting it back down.

"It's about that person again. I made them kind of mad. I left them a gift in their locker, but it just made them mad," he muttered, glancing over at her.

"Did you leave a note? I'm sure I'd be pretty bothered if something was left in my locker without knowing who it was from, wouldn't you?" Yukari cracked a potato chip between her teeth before eating it completely.

Akihiko shook his head, feeling kind of dumb. "I didn't. I should have known."

The girl shrugged before nudging him in the arm. "I left a gift in my person's locker, too!" she whispered with a wide grin. "He was so happy! I could just see him glowing!"

"That's great! If only I could get it right," he sighed, leaning back and looking out off the balcony.

"Can I know who it is? Maybe I can give you more information," she said and perked up, wanting to hear the 'juicy bits.'

"Nope," he shook his head, keeping his mind on what he would get Minato next. He heard Yukari huff and go about eating her lunch.

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><p>'Okay,' Minato thought, staring at the store-bought boxed lunch in his shoe locker. The note stated a quiet, "I left a note this time." 'So if he hadn't left the note the first time, then who left the melon bread with the note?' he asked himself, taking the lunch and heading off to class. 'I guess only the people who know me well enough know that. Either that or someone was watching when I bought one at the store the other day. That's creepy! I don't mind an admirer, them I can ignore, but being stalked is another thing all together.' He felt a shudder wrack his body as he thought of a perverted old man trying to get pictures of him and his belongings.<p>

At the end of the day, Yukari slipped passed a couple people with a can of Cello Mist in one hand and a note in the other. Setting it in Minato's locker was easy and she was gone in a hurry. "Spring is getting close. It'll get hot soon," said the note, mostly irrelevant news for the man she liked, but felt it seemed right to pair a warm spring day to a can of soda. Her heart fluttered as she passed Minato in the hall but never gave away anything. She'd immediately turned a corner and was gone in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, Minato hadn't seen her put the soda in there.

"Soda?" he asked rhetorically, taking the note and reading it carefully. It almost seemed like the same handwriting, but there were subtle differences for sure. "First melon bread, then lunch, now this? What? Does he think I'm not eating enough? Why's it always food?" he interrogated the cold drink. 'It's only been here for a few minutes, I'd say,' he thought as he examined the condensation on the can. He broke the seal on the beverage and took a sip. With a shrug of acceptance, he left the school. When he made it to his dorm room, he looked himself in the mirror. Turning his body, he examined his stomach and chest while lifting his shirt up. He wasn't that skinny, was he? He'd gained more muscle than anything, and if it was fat it was because of whoever was putting food in his locker! Deeming himself self-conscious, Minato sighed with the knowledge that he'd be met by a snack or drink with a note in his locker in the morning.

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><p>Unfortunately for Minato, and his weight, this continued for nearly a week. It became harder and harder to find clues about who had been putting the food in his locker besides Akihiko, but he ate or drank nearly everything that appeared in there. Setting a shoe box onto his desk, Minato examined every one of the notes he had kept. The paper used wasn't of a specific type, and was most likely random due to the spontaneity of the gift, he assumed. The handwriting was almost the same, but who was to say it wasn't just Akihiko and how sudden the gift was that day? Standing, he took his place in front of the mirror and examined his belly. He noted a small amount of pudge that had made his way across his pant line underneath his bellybutton. Minato refused to ask if Akihiko had been putting all of it in his locker in fear that the other would stop his affection towards him all together. Yes, Minato noticed the small glances and grins, but it was nothing compared to getting a gift from Akihiko.<p>

Feeling his stomach flutter and placing a hand on his abdomen, Minato nodded, thinking it was time to cease the nonsense. "If one of the gifts I'm given every day isn't from Akihiko, and I've been willingly accepting it, then who's affection am I returning?" Stiffening at the thought of a stalker once again, he stalked his way over to Akihiko's dorm room door. With a few small taps, the door was opened.

"Arisato, what do you need?" Akihiko asked politely.

"I need you to stop giving me food." It was blunt and straightforward.

"Umm… Alright," Akihiko nodded, feeling kind of let down. He felt he was going to be thanked for all the gifts he had given, but watched as his hopes crashed and burned.

"Look what you've done to my belly," he grumbled, lifting his shirt to show the small amount of fat. It wasn't even noticeable. What was noticeable, however, was the blush that dusted Aki's cheeks as he laid eyes on the perfectly pale stomach and chest before him. Feeling his fingers itch to touch him, he tensed up.

"Alright, I'll stop giving you food," the man nodded, feeling somewhat content with getting to see something most others would never have the chance to. Except the swim team, that is.

"Thanks," Minato sighed and lowered his shirt, going to turn around and leave. He paused, looking back at the silver-haired male over his shoulder and grinning. "Doesn't mean you have to stop the gifts, though." Without another word he removed himself from the hallway and back into his bedroom. Clasped hands met his chest and he heaved a heavy sigh, knowing it could've been worse. "Don't stop with the gifts, Akihiko…" he muttered with his back pressed against the door he'd closed behind him. "Otherwise I'll never figure out who is giving me unwanted presents. I only want gifts from you... And right now that's all that matters."

_To be continued...?_


	2. Your Gifts, Your Kisses, & Your Sounds

Okay! So this is chapter two of _The Moment He Cries_ and I'm happy to say that I love writing this! The ending is why it's rated M. FUN STUFF. Anyways! It's three in the morning and I need sleep.

I don't own Persona 3 nor do I make money off of my fantasies of the characters in this fan fiction. Enjoy! And please, review whether you liked it or not! I'll want to write more depending on what you guys say!

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><p>Chapter 2: Your Gifts, Your Kisses, and Your Sounds<p>

It had been a few days since the incident with Minato's miniscule weight gain, but Akihiko had held fast onto the memory of the blue-haired man at his door with his shirt lifted up. It's not like he was flashing much of anything, he's not a girl, but still it was something few people had the chance to witness. The pale skin of his stomach and chest, then his grin and his sweet words. They gripped tighter and tighter onto Akihiko's heart every moment he thought of them. In a flash, he was torn from his little day dream and thrust back into reality when the classroom door slid open with a 'clack!' The object of his day dreams came waltzing into the senior classroom and too his desk. 'Why's he so mad? He's cute when he's mad,' he wondered, leaning back in his seat as Minato stood beside him with a blank stare. Aki saw the little crinkle between his eyebrows at his displeasure and gave a small grin to the disgruntled man. Akihiko's desk was on the fourth row from the front, causing the two to make a scene in the middle of the class.

"Sanada!" Minato barked, holding out the melon bread to dangle in the older male's face. "I told you no more food, especially these," he growled, setting the pastry on the desk and standing before the boxer, letting his hands ball into fists at his sides. "I'm not _that_ skinny," he grumbled, feeling a little self-conscious. After being told to stop putting food in his locker, however, Akihiko hadn't had the time to go to the store. He wasn't even sure what to get him if it wasn't food. He'd noticed that Minato had lost the little bit of weight he'd complained about before and shook his head up at his friend.

"But Arisato, I didn't," he muttered, looking up at him with a truthful look. "I promise. I haven't even been to the store yet…"

Minato stood his ground for a moment before snatching up the treat. "Fine, I believe you. For now." Walking away, he tossed the dessert in the trash without a second thought and left the room.

"Hope he doesn't treat my gifts like that when I get him something," Akihiko muttered as he received questionable glances and stares. Within minutes class started and Aki realized that Minato had come to yell at him, for something he didn't do, without reservation about being late for his own class. 'He was that mad?' he thought, a worried look crossing his features.

* * *

><p>'Swim practice sucks… What if I don't wanna practice and just wanna swim?' Minato thought as he hummed his distaste for the sport. He glared down at the water as he stood at the pool's edge. He'd only swam a couple of times today because he was trying to avoid it, but felt it would be best to take another dip before leaving. At least in the warm sun outside he'd be able to stay cool. Right before he heard the coach blow his whistle to dismiss everyone, he hopped in to the shallow end, submerging his entirety from head to toe before coming back up for air.<p>

"Arisato! Go on home!" the coach hollered and watched to make sure the other got out and go to the locker rooms to change.

* * *

><p>Akihiko's stomach panged as a bruise was starting to form on his skin. He'd been hit during boxing and didn't realize the extent of the injury. Knowing he'd be fine in a few days, he waved the school nurse off with a quick 'I'm fine!' and exited out the front entrance of the school building. 'Wonder if Arisato is already at the dorms' he pondered, trying his best to come up with some sort of gift to give him. The male figured a journal or some sort of small book to write in would be best, seeing as how it was hard to get the other to talk. What if he didn't like to write? Maybe he already had a couple journals and he didn't want another. This was going to be tougher than he thought. A few paces ahead, Akihiko spotted the blue hair of his friend and, hesitating at first, made his way over without drawing attention from the students strewn across the front walkway on their way home. "Arisato," he muttered, leaning in close to the man. In his mind, the other would have jumped, startled at the suddenness of his appearance and shown him an expression he hadn't seen before. Instead, Minato looked over and lifted a hand to pull off the headphone from his ear. It had been covered by his still-damp hair.<p>

"I didn't know you were there. Did you say something, Sanada?" he asked, blinking up at the taller man. Taken slightly aback, Akihiko took in what seemed to be a very damp Minato. His hair was damp and combed back a little in the front, and his shirt wasn't tucked into his pants nor was it buttoned up all the way. Right then, the pain from his stomach dissipated with the sight of this Minato. 'If I shove him into a fountain before we get to the dorms, it's because I want to see him like this again,' he schemed as his lustful thoughts crept in.

Somewhat dissatisfied with the results of his flirting attempt, he grinned lightly and shook his head. "Nah, just said 'hey.'" Accepting the answer with a small hum, Minato focused on his mp3 player in silence. The train ride wasn't uneventful, at least not for the blue haired male who seemed to grow oblivious to his crush standing so close beside him. Rush hour was never fun and he found himself without the confidence to start a conversation with the one standing so close.

'I think he forgot about me,' Akihiko thought, watching as Minato flipped through songs. As a result of being late for the train, the two students were forced to stand with an arm raised to hold onto the handles hanging from the ceiling. He felt his fingers on the arm closest to Minato go numb and start tingling only a few minutes after they gripped the handle. His view wasn't distorted though, and he was able to see over the shorter male's shoulder at his mp3 player. 'What do I do without making it look like I'm harassing him?' he pondered, staring at the side of Minato's face.

'I forgot my comb today,' Minato thought and gave a small hum to show his annoyance in the lock of hair that'd fallen into his face. After he attended swim practice, his hair never fell like it did in the mornings after a shower. "I'll chop you off," he grumbled, combing his hair back with his hand. It was nearly all dry.

"Hm," Akihiko breathed, reaching his unoccupied hand around Minato to take the lock of hair and brush it behind his ear. Thankfully, it stayed on the first try and he didn't end up making a fool of himself. The action seemed innocent enough. "I'd rather not see a bald Minato," he murmured to the shorter male with a small grin.

'Stop flying, birds,' Minato thought while his stomach filled with butterflies, or birds for Minato as they felt bigger in his stomach than butterflies, and his cheeks became dusted with the lightest shade of pink. 'Touch me more, Aki,' was all he could think as he closed his eyes and listened to his music, 'Or don't touch me at all.' Satisfied with this reaction, which made up for earlier, the boxer stood up straight and went back to watching the other listen to music.

* * *

><p><em>Voooot! Voooot! Vooot!<em>

Minato watched as his cell danced on the edge of his desk in the glaring light of the lamp above it. Lifting the vibrating electronic, he read the screen and grinned. "Hello," he muttered, holding the open cell against the side of his face with his shoulder.

"Good, you're still awake," Akihiko heaved a sigh of relief on the other line. He'd taken a seat in front of his TV in his desk chair whilst the man on the screen gave voice to the prices of the silly household products made for people who were too lazy to manually open jars, vacuum floors, or chop food. He turned the volume down slightly to listen in on his friend on the phone. He shifted somewhat in his seat as his boxers and pajama bottoms tried to ride up and found a comfortable spot once again.

"What'd you need? I'm doing homework," Minato replied, scribbling down an answer to his math problem but erased as he thought twice and marked a '32' down. It'd been the easiest problem all night.

"Really? You study more than anyone I know. Then again I should have known that when I saw your test scores on the last exam. Second place is amazing," he complimented, watching as the salesman pushed a button on an automatic can opener in a demonstration. It would be a long shot, but Akihiko needed to test the waters. "Want some help? I think I get pretty decent scores." Fake confidence dripped from his words as he lied. He hated math and studying altogether, but hoped this would lead to maybe a fun conversation. Forcing his lust-filled thoughts to the back of his mind, Akihiko awaited his answer as a long pause was shared.

Thinking back on Akihiko's test scores made Minato want to refuse the offer, but having an excuse to have his crush in his room was too tempting. "Sure," he replied with an unseen nod. His mouth had moved on its own before he could realize what he'd just done, and a hand reached up to lightly slap himself in the forehead. Perhaps he could slap some sense into that head of his.

"So what're you working on?" he asked as he left his room in his pajamas and shoeless feet. If he never had to wear shoes again, he wouldn't mind. It made his life a little easier and a little more comfortable when he didn't have to worry about shoes.

"Math. Fun, I know," Minato replied in a rather monotone voice. He hadn't lifted his gaze until Akihiko knocked on his door, having forgotten that the other was coming over. Pushing his chair back with the backs of his knees, he shuffled over and opened the door. He shut his phone after a moment when he felt stupid talking on the phone with the person who was standing before him. "Come on in," he muttered finally and moved over for him to enter. The door shut quietly and Minato made his way back towards his desk. "Unfortunately," he started, pulling out his desk chair and moving it so it was closer to his bed, "I really don't feel like studying anymore tonight. It'll be the dark hour soon and I think I've studied enough for the both of us." He was lying of course, but hid this fact by shuffling his papers together and back into his book before closing it. He had more homework and would have to finish it early tomorrow morning.

"Alright," Akihiko nodded, pausing before motioning towards the door. "I can leave so-"

"No, it's fine. I can do more than study," he chimed, quickly realizing how much of an innuendo had flown from his mouth. "I mean," he shifted, trying to rephrase his words. Akihiko seemed to be having too much fun, grinning wide at his friend's word choice. "I have time to talk, if you want."

Akihiko nodded as a chuckle escaped his throat and moved to sit on the bed near the other. "You had swim team practice today, right? How'd that go?"

"How'd you know?" he questioned, remembering his stalker who hadn't missed a day to give him food in his locker. Minato wanted to slap himself when he remembered the incident on the train. 'He must've felt that my hair was wet." Akihiko saw the other change expressions from bothered to understanding within a few seconds, and noted the small blush that'd appeared on his cheeks. Lifting his legs, he sat Indian style on his friend's bed close to the edge. Akihiko wasn't thinking very logically, which could have explained the fact that he had reached over and combed his own fingers through the male's dark blue hair, moving it from his face. It looked, and felt, as if he was caressing Minato's cheek, which made him retreat his hand. A lengthy pause drifted in and, with difficulties, Minato forced himself to refrain from leaning into the touch.

"I don't think I could see you with short hair. I mean, it'd look odd without it like this," Akihiko murmured, remembering their moment on the way home.

A tiny squeak came from Minato's throat as he went to reply and quickly found his voice. "That's just because you've only seen me with this hair cut. It's annoying having it this long and takes forever to dry." 'I'll never change it though,' he thought, letting his lips twitch into a grin. 'Only because it makes you touch me.' the male muttered quietly in his mind as he shifted his gaze downward, watching as his hair fell in front of his face again. Akihiko moved his arm to reach, but instead, rethought his actions and let his hands rest in his lap before him. "I don't think you would look right with your hair long," Minato said quietly with a tiny smirk as he tried to start the conversation back up.

Akihiko gave a genuine smile and chuckled, punching the other on the arm in a playful way. "That's just because you've only seen me with this hair cut," he retorted Minato's words back at him. They shared a light laugh before the room fell silent again. He watched his clock and noted that they only had about five minutes before the dark hour. Standing and straightening his shirt, and realizing he hadn't changed into his pajamas, he pushed his chair up to his desk and found the spot beside his friend to be rather inviting. He stole the opportunity and seated himself with his legs from the knee down dangling off the side.

"I think I have a stalker," Minato said in a rather serious tone to his friend. "There's someone else giving me food besides you."

'Way to kill the mood, Minato,' the other thought and gave a fake worried look. "Hm, that's unfortunate. What kind of gift do you want?" he asked in attempt to change the subject. Minato looked at him and blushed, turning his face away quickly after.

"Why do you keep giving me stuff anyways?" he asked, lowering his gaze so his hair sparsely covered his tingling cheeks. "Isn't it weird to give a guy presents? I mean, we're friends, but Junpei and I don't do that for each other."

"Maybe… I like you in a different kind of way," Akihiko hinted, leaning close for a moment with a smirk on his face. "You know, different kind of friendship, I mean."

"Oh… yeah, I guess so," Minato agreed and cringed as he saw a hand from the corner of his eye reach out toward his face. His ability to hold himself back from leaning into the touch had seemingly disappeared as Akihiko once again moved his hair from his face and tucked it neatly behind his ear. Goosebumps wracked his body when his ear was touched and Minato made an attempt to hide them. It didn't work all that well, only causing him to make a fool of himself as he rubbed his arms as if he were cold when he tried to get the bumps to go away. Akihiko chuckled at him, watching his friend do his little dance.

"What'd I do?" Akihiko asked, trying to seem oblivious.

"You touched me," Minato grumbled, wanting to cover his ears more than anything.

"Should I stop?"

"No!" he blue-haired male snapped, quickly feeling his ears start to burn with his blush. "I-I mean, I guess."

"That's not much of an answer…" Akihiko sighed, wanting to touch him more. He'd never seen this side of the SEES leader, it was astonishing. Almost as a child would experiment with a rat in a maze, Akihiko wanted to experiment with Minato, wanting to see his reactions. Yeah, he'd watched porn before, and yeah, he'd seen the faces some of the girls made. But just maybe Minato could make those faces, and he wanted to find out. "About the gifts… I want to give you more of a gift you'd like, but I'm having trouble finding something," Akihiko murmured, keeping his voice low as he leaned close to the male beside him. "And I was thinking… you could give me some suggestions."

'Just do it!' he screamed at himself wanting to just go on with it and press his lips to Akihiko's as he'd done in so many fantasies of them together. His body tensed and his eyes shut tight when he felt something warm below his ear. 'What's he-?' he lost his train of thought when another set of goosebumps attacked him, sending his body into a shiver fit. Akihiko had kissed just below his ear, testing to see his reaction. When Minato didn't protest, he continued and landed a kiss on the shell of his ear. "Sanada…" he groaned, wanting to pull away. It was too much like his fantasies, and he was positive he was dreaming.

"Huh?" Akihiko hummed in question as he landed a few more kisses down the others neck.

"I… I think you need to leave," he breathed, lifting his knees to rest his heels on the bed frame and lowering his head to rest his forehead on his knees.

"Of course…" Akihiko mumbled, standing and heading for the door after a while. He gave a disappointed look to the male's dorm room door. "Sorry," he uttered back before leaving the room. He felt more anger in that moment than he had in a while. 'Might as well just get him some socks as a gift. Can't get him much else without him freaking out. Can't give him food, he gets fat. Can't give him a kiss, he gets mad. Fuck!' he rambled in his head as he huffed his way over to his room, eyeing Junpei and Fuuka out in the lounge talking.

"Aki…" Minato whispered a sigh as he watched the lights flicker for a moment before turning a dull shade of green. He flipped his phone open and noticed it was dead. Giving a small sigh of relief, knowing most everyone would be asleep, he flopped back onto his bed. Trembling hands unbuttoned his pants and slid underneath the waistband of his boxers to find his privates. The pleasurable strokes to his erection caused more than a mind full of fantasies, but the feeling of guilt from telling Akihiko to leave, desire for the current hand to be replaced by Akihiko's, and utter shame for thinking these things of Akihiko hounded him as well. He rolled onto his side, onto the arm he wasn't using, and closing his eyes, bit the sheets to hide his small moans. He'd taught himself how to stay quiet when he started having these small fantasies of his friend, but it seemed useless to try to stay silent tonight. Instead, he let the bed muffle his sounds and let his mind slip into nothingness. And beneath the greenish hue of his bedroom light, Minato moaned the others name into the listening sheets. With shaky breaths and sighs to hide his moans, the blue-haired male rode out his orgasm as his jaws clenched the fabric between his teeth.

"Aki…" he breathed, feeling the places the male had previously kissed burning as he slowly fell from his high. He'd make amends with Akihiko tomorrow, and he'd find something he'd want for a gift. Feeling the cum on his hand as he pulled it out from his pants, Minato felt a pang of shame and guilt wash over him. Thoughts flooded in during the afterglow of his orgasm, all meant towards Akihiko:

'I'll make amends tomorrow.'

'Just wait until tomorrow…'

'Tomorrow… I'll return your kisses…'

* * *

><p><em>To be continued…<em>


	3. My MMO, My Heart, & My Sword

Well now, what do we have here? A third chapter? Yay! So I hope you guys liked Minato-kun's little Dark Hour playtime last chapter, because there will be more. Although, I'm hoping for Akihiko to be in the room and participating. So without further adieu, I give you Chapter 3! Enjoy! Thank you jiyulie and roamingbanana for being my first ones to review! Your happy words make me want to write more!

By the way, if you were bothered by how little attention Yukari got in the last chapter as Minato's stalker, I apologize. Yukari is one of my least favorite characters and I hate to give her credit as being a stalker. Y'know, the old phrase "Give them an inch and they'll go for a mile,"? Yeah, I was sure she would do just that.

I did not make Persona 3, nor do I make money off of my fantasies between characters in the fan fiction below. Leave comments and reviews! Anything you think I should work on, anything you think I should add or take away! Just throw it on a review, and whatever it may be, I will thank you for your input!

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><p>Chapter 3: My MMO, My Heart, &amp; My Sword<p>

"I like MMORPGs."

"What?" Akihiko asked, staring dumbfounded at his friend. They stood several feet apart, facing each other in the middle of the busy hall way. It was just after lunch, and Minato knew for sure he would be able to easily catch the boxer. He wanted to grin at the little bothered look that was shot his way by Minato, but held back in fear he'd be angry with him. He was so worried that the blue-haired man was still angry with him, but was glad that he was even being spoken to.

"Mass multiplayer online role playing games. M-M-O-R-P-G. I like them," Minato stated, lowering his gaze to the floor. Not many people would have thought that the rather shy boy would spend his spare time online playing games.

"Roleplaying? Huh, that's kind of dirty, Arisato," Akihiko scoffed. He wasn't much of a gamer, but he felt that the words, 'role playing' were things for the bedroom.

"No, moron!" he barked, feeling his cheeks burn. "It's like fighting games and adventure games and stuff. It's with people online." Minato frowned, letting is eyebrows form a little crease above his nose.

Akihiko grinned and lifted his hands as if his friend had a gun pointed at him. "Alright, alright, I get it!" he laughed, staring down at the cute face Minato was making. "So why are you telling me this?"

"Because you wanted to know a gift to get me and that's something. They make cards for Innocent Sin Online memberships, and I want a membership." He shifted his weight and stared down at his hands. With a nervous glance to his crush before him, he gave one of the most innocent looks he could muster. Granted, it wasn't intentional. Minato's face ended up like it had because he genuinely wanted a membership. After falling in love with the game, he found himself playing it nearly everyday during Christmas break and wasting his time leveling his character to a current, and proud, level seventy-two.

"How much is it?" Akihiko questioned, lifting a hand to scratch nervously at the back of his neck. If it was too expensive, he'd feel bad knowing he'd let Minato down. He didn't want to see a sad expression on his face.

"About… about three thousand yen," he mumbled, not wanting to get yelled at. It was so much to ask for, but he didn't really want anything else. Unless Akihiko was offering a roll in the sheets, and this thought made his cheeks burn a little more. 'I need to stop being around him. I don't think my cheeks can take much more of this and I don't want to look like an idiot…' he pondered and forced the blush away. Glancing up at Akihiko, he gave a small frown.

Akihiko sighed, wishing he would say a definite yes. "I don't think I'll be able to. I can try, but that's about it," he replied, feeling bad for saying no. He furrowed his brows in a sorrowful expression when he saw the hurt look of the male before him. He eavesdropped on a couple of students passing by, talking about how much time they had left before class. Apparently, one of them wanted to get a drink, and was quickly let down when he heard there was only a few minutes remained.

"Guess I should head to class," Minato muttered, walking on passed his friend. He winced when he felt fingertips dig into his arm and quickly turned to Akihiko. His eyes stared up at him, "What-?"

"I promise, I'll try. So please, don't make that face again," Aki whispered after pulling the male close by the arm. Letting go, he gave a small grin to the blue-haired male. Minato nodded, lifting an hand to rub the spot his crush had grabbed. He turned and left, going off towards his classroom.

"You didn't have to hurt my arm…" Minato mumbled and lifted the sleeve of his shirt. It was getting warmer, so he'd decided it was okay to wear his short sleeve shirts, though he feared now with the marks on his arm, he'd want to wear his long sleeve shirts until they healed. A sigh escaped his lips as he laid eyes upon the small red marks on his skin. They would bruise, and he knew it.

* * *

><p>"Ugh!" Minato groaned, throwing his head back as he stood at his shoe locker. "Who are you?" he asked aloud, almost ready to pull his hair straight from his scalp. The trigger for his stress was a can of Mad Bull in his shoe locker. Sure, Mad Bull's were tasty and they kept him up, but he didn't want one just before he went home. If he had received the fizzy drink from his stalker earlier that day, possibly early in the morning so he could have been awake to finish the homework he'd neglected for kisses, then it would have been fine. Alas, the drink appeared before him, dripping condensation onto the base of the small metal box and aching to be chugged right then and there. With a hum of confusion and acceptance, he removed the thin silver can from his locker and replaced it with his school shoes, refusing to bother to read the note left for him. It'd just say something weird anyways, something about how he would need to be awake or how they knew he liked energy drinks. He thumbed his home shoes on, hobbling on one foot, and retreated back to his dorm.<p>

* * *

><p>Minato was happy enough to scream, or happy enough to hug someone. Either way, the blue-haired male who was known for his indifference toward others, would do something he wouldn't normally do. Instead, he was only willing to show a grin to the people around his shoe locker. Within his locker laid a perfect and shiny new Innocent Sin Online Membership card, and without a doubt it had come from his crush. 'He's so sweet!' he thought, pressing the card to his chest in the tiniest of hugs. Laying his hands over the card to his chest in a protective manner and slamming his shoe locker door, Minato made his way quickly to Akihiko's senior classroom. With a hand on the door and his eyes scanning the room for the male, he heard the bell ring for first block to start. 'Shit!' he thought and hissed, turning to face one of the senior homeroom teachers who'd snuck up on him.<p>

"Arisato, you should be in class," he stated plainly, offering to escort him there. It would be wrong if he let a student walk out and then skip class. He left the student at his homeroom door and walked off for his own classroom. Akihiko had caught sight of his friend and sighed when he was drug away as a small stab of guilt hit him.

'That didn't really go as planned…' Minato thought with the heaviest of sighs. He read every word on the card, over and over. The male gave up listening to Mr. Edogawa, who immediately noticed and quickly started asking the students questions at random about the power of magic and how it came to be. Minato answered a question, got it wrong, and was more than ready to go home and play Innocent Sin Online, but he knew, somehow, that something would stop him. 'Today's Friday so Akihiko has boxing practice. I won't see him until the dorms. That would be fine, seeing as how it would be weird and inappropriate in the place I'm at now. It will be for the best to be at home.'

* * *

><p>He wasn't as glad to be home as he'd first thought he would, but attempted to look as though he were in a hurry towards the stairs, which in a way he was. It wasn't until he was proceeding to climb the staircase in a rush when he heard Mitsuru in the living room. "Arisato!" Mitsuru's voice pinged around his brain until he turned to face her. She was sitting on the couch reading as usual and her voice was the last thing Minato wanted to hear. 'Let's go to Tartarus!' she'll say, the team leader was sure of it. He mouthed the words as she said them and sighed lightly to himself. It took a while to decide, but he was certain she was right about what she said. It was only about a week until the full moon and they had still failed to reach the top of the dreaded place. They were on floor two hundred fifty, but they weren't sure if they were close to the top at all. Fuuka's persona had failed countless times to fixate an exact number of floors and it was killing all of them, almost in a literal sense. Without thinking about the others feelings, Minato had chosen Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Junpei for his team. It worried him that Ken, Koromaru, Yukari, and Aegis were pissed, but he could not chance a risk at their lives. Choosing the strongest was best. Thinking it over took longer than he thought, and he noticed this only when Mitsuru gave him a strange look.<p>

"Yeah, let's go. I'll see you there at Midnight," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. He stamped his way up the staircase and to his room, a little less in a hurry than before. Before he tossed his bag, the blue-haired male snatched the Mad Bull and broke the seal. Without a second thought he chugged it and headed back down to the living room.

* * *

><p>"One enemy left and we can move on," Fuuka affirmed through her persona's power. "Maybe this time we'll hit the top!" she cheered quietly on the other line.<p>

With one last slash at the shadow-like figure before the group, he killed it and heard a loud shattering sound. "Negative, Yamagishi. My weapon's broken," the leader replied with a sigh. He lifted the broken sword to see how badly the break was, but when he shifted it, half of the steel blade fell to the ground in a clatter. Junpei jumped out of his little world and Minato noticed. "Junpei, what's wrong?"

"Nothing! Why're you askin'?" he asked, a fake smile strewn across his face. His façade was easily seen through.

"Junpei Iori, you can't hide anything from me. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," the male stated, sighing heavily and giving in. "I really am. I never meant to make you cry, Minato. You know that, right? I was just freaking out. I overreacted."

With a grin, Minato gave a concerned look to his close friend. Their conversation wasn't going unnoticed as Mitsuru and Akihiko stood eavesdropping. The redhead stood quietly with her friend as she wrapped his wrist in a bandage, only pausing for a moment after hearing the boxer hiss with a grimace. He'd hurt himself after a shadow dodged his attack and he knew it would take a while to heal. Thankfully, the man had landed wrong on his left hand and not his dominate one. "We already had this conversation, didn't we? I told you, just forget about it. It never happened, remember? It's not like I go and cry in my room because you yelled at me. I'm not giving you _that_ much credit, Junpei." Minato chuckled.

Junpei gave the most thankful look to his friend and smiled. "Thanks man. I-"

"Shh!" Minato hushed him with his hand in the air, listening close to his surroundings. Chains? There were rattling chains coming from a nearby hallway, and the leader couldn't help but try to stand tall. He was almost completely drained of any energy he had and worried he wouldn't be able to get through another fight. Death crept it's way passed the corner, and Minato found himself unable to move from fright. They'd never came face to face with Death before. They had heard his chains and knew to fun for the nearest staircase, but they'd never seen him.

"Run!" Mitsuru yelled, taking off with Junpei and Akihiko close behind. After a moment, Akihiko felt as though there was something missing, and noticed as he turned to look over his shoulder that his leader was missing. There stood Minato in the face of Death with a frightened look upon his face, frozen in the place he'd been left.

"Minato!" Aki yelled, running back and dragging the male by his hand. "You're gonna get yourself killed!" He never slowed his pace until they all made it to the access point down the hall. Death watched the four retreat but only Minato could stare back. It was as if the monster down the hall was freezing him from the inside out, holding onto his heart, stomach, and soul. It terrified him, and only when Akihiko gripped his hand a little too tight was he shaken from his icy nightmare.

"Oof!" Minato huffed, tripping over the edge of the access point, or possibly his own feet, as the four arrived at the base of Tartarus. Lifting himself onto his hands and knees, Minato steadied himself before attempting to stand. Any energy he had left was completely gone, and he was sure he would find himself sleeping in late tomorrow. "Ow…" he groaned, humming his annoyance as he stumbled to his feet.

Akihiko watched silently as the other stood, making sure he wasn't going to fall again. "You alright?" he asked, grabbing the others arm gently where he had the day before and watched as Minato grimaced with a hiss. "Sorry…" the boxer breathed and let go of him only to receive a small, tired nod as a yes from the leader.

* * *

><p>"That Mad Bull hasn't really worn off yet. I'm tired as hell but I know I won't sleep," Minato grumbled, toeing his shoes off as he sat on the edge of his bed. Falling back and rolling over onto his side made his body ache for more movement, but he thought better of it and heaved a heavy sigh. His desk lamp was giving off a dark green glow because of the dark hour, but his eye lids made his surroundings darker as they slid halfway closed.<p>

"Arisato," came a voice at his door. It was Akihiko. Minato simply groaned in approval for the other to come in, and was thankful when he heard the door open and shut. "You okay?" Aki asked with a worried tone lacing through his words. He watched his friend roll onto his back and lay a hand on his own stomach in a comfortable position.

"Yeah. What's up?" Minato replied, his legs dangling off the side of the bed and his other arm reaching up to drape over his eyes.

With a shrug, the boxer replied with a quiet, "Just wanted to make sure you were okay. I've never seen you so scared."

"Don't remind me, Sanada," he breathed, moving the hand from his stomach to pat the spot on the bed beside him in an offering to sit. Akihiko shifted his weight somewhat in hesitation before taking the offer. Minato felt the bed dip as the mattress accepted his friend's weight. After a moment, the male forced himself to sit up and sigh. "I'm not gonna sleep."

"Why's that?" Akihiko asked, looking over at the man with a questioning expression.

"'Cause I drank a Mad Bull that was in my locker," he replied, glancing over at Akihiko. He was so handsome, even with the green light of the Dark Hour. In a way, Akihiko looked especially handsome in the green glow. Perhaps this was one of the perks of the Dark Hour, one that went undiscovered.

"It was in your locker? Wait, didn't you say that you had a stalker earlier?" he questioned with an uneasy look. It suddenly hit him that, even with Nyx being released and the inevitable battle quickly approaching, his leader, and crush, was being stalked by someone.

"Yeah. Remember when I came to your homeroom and told you not to give me food anymore? It was so I could make certain that you weren't the one putting snacks in there. It's kind of unnerving thinking that someone's watching me," Minato stated with a tired shake of his head. He shifted his gaze to focus his mind on his clasped hand in his lap. It made him think of how nice it would be to be hold Akihiko's hand instead of his own. With a unconfident and discouraged look, he shook the thought away and allowed his lips to twitch into a bothered expression. "The first note I got said, 'I know you like melon bread,' and I know it seems harmless, but to think that someone was watching me eat melon bread or buy melon bread put me into the most sour of moods." The blue-haired male shrugged with a small shake of his head.

"I didn't leave a note for my melon bread the first time," Akihiko uttered with a thoughtful look.

"I know, that's why I knew it was safe to take it. But then the notes started getting mixed up and the gifts just kept appearing. I couldn't tell whose gift belonged to who." Minato paused to turn his head, staring over at the boy he'd had a crush on for nearly a year. It was impossible now to make the birds in his stomach stop flying and he knew there was no use holding back. Everyone would be asleep by now, he assumed, because it was so late, but he felt he could stay up for days. Whether this was the effect of the Mad Bull or the fact that Akihiko was in his room and he felt it was his only opportunity to say what he needed to, he wasn't sure.

A long pause was slowly shared between the two as blue eyes met grey ones, one telling the other to give in. Akihiko felt his heart skip at least six beats, and it was almost as if the room had heated by ten degrees. Minato once again wished to shove his hand into his chest to calm his heart. Once more, the two men were able to read each other without the use of words. Akihiko leaned in first, going for more of the initiative-taker position, to place a hand on the crook of Minato's neck to pull him in close as his thumb brushed the spot he'd kissed before. A second later, the other leaned in but was stopped by the other. It was nearly perfect, it seemed, until Minato gave a tiny whine in the back of his throat when Aki had stopped his advances. It was killing him. All of his fantasies, all of his times during the Dark Hour with his hand, were being held off for another second.

With a smirk, Akihiko gently brushed the hair out of the other's eyes, and spoke in the softest of tones, "If I kiss you, will you make me leave again?"

Minato let his lips curl into a smirk and his hand to reach up and caress the male's cheek. A small chuckle escaped but he shook his head once in reply before whispering, "Not a chance."

It was everything and nothing and more than anything he'd imagined this kiss with Akihiko to be, and it sent shocks down his body. Goosebumps wracked his skin as they had done before when he felt Akihiko's arms snake around his waist to pull him closer. He wasn't so sure if they could be any closer, but he was willing to be proven wrong. Finding the strength in the heated kiss, Minato lifted his arms to wrap them loosely about his crush's neck with a hand tangling itself in the male's silver, cropped hair. They parted for a breath before indulging once more in each others tastes, this time seeming more forceful and hungry than the first. Minato shuddered when his lower back was ghosted by fingertips, and blushed when he felt Aki's tongue press gently against his lips. In a hesitant moment, something told Minato to stop, but he paused it aside and opened his mouth to accept it. It was hot and felt weird, but the blue-haired male gave a hum of approval, which turned out more like a moan to Akihiko, and slid his inexperienced tongue into the mouth that covered his own. With a gentle press of his lips and body against him, Akihiko forced the other onto his back as he covered him like a hot blanket. The weight of his friend's body on his own was a comfortable weight, and almost told him that there was no backing out. It worried him a little, but he kept himself calm, only letting his hands tremble. His body gave a gentle shake as his legs were forced apart by the others knee.

"Hah…" Minato's throat breathed a quiet moan when hot lips met his neck. Every place he touched, every place he kissed, sent a little shock through him. It was then that he realized why Akihiko held the power of electricity within him. His kisses sent shocks throughout his body and it made his throat want to give in to every little plea he held in his shaking body. Instead, he opened his mouth a little and let his quick breaths escape him. Akihiko let his lips trail down to the male's chest, noting the small, but pronounced, differences underneath his hands from a girl. It was a good different, Aki concluded as he undid the buttons of his uniform shirt and slid his hand inside to fondle and touch the body beneath him.

"Ahh… Sanada," Minato sighed, feeling his erection press against the others thigh. It was torture to feel his pants grow tighter, and he lifted his head slightly to look down at the male kissing his chest. Akihiko glanced up at him upon hearing his name and moved his mouth to flick his tongue out at the nipple before him. After a few moments of nibbling and licking the abused nub, while his thumb did the same to the opposite, he lifted his head to stare up at the male.

"Hah… D-Don't look at me like that," whispered Minato as a blush grew on his cheeks and to his ears.

"Look at you how, Minato?" Akihiko asked in a raspy breath, crawling forward when Minato turned his head to look away. Taking the opening, Aki moved his mouth to the others earlobe and gave it a gentle suck. He continued after hearing the quiet moan of approval from the one below him and smirked, tongue lashing out to play with the shell of the ear.

It took a moment to stop his body from shaking so badly from desire and worry to answer the male's question. "Like… like you know something that I don't… Or… Damnit, Akihiko, you make me feel like I'm a babbling virgin!" he growled, holding back the moan that threatened to escape when he felt his erection rub against Akihiko's knee as it moved forward to steady himself.

"In a sense, with guys," Akihiko nodded, lifting himself onto hands and knees above the heated and sweaty body below him, "You are a virgin." He was sure Minato had had sex with at least one girl, but gave a snicker when he saw the blush glow bright red on the others face. "You are a virgin," he chuckled, watching Minato cross his arms across his chest and shift his gaze. With embarrassed glances, the blue-haired male watched his crush move between his legs and a hand reach back behind him to hold onto Minato's knee. With a hot breath, the boxer whispered in his ear with a smirk, "But I'm not."

"Ahh! Nhnn…" Minato moaned as Akihiko moved his hips roughly against the ones below him. He felt his own hips buck forward and groaned as hands grabbed his hips to stop them from moving, Aki lowering his top half onto Minato's to kiss at his neck. Lowering a hand to one of Aki's wrists, he tried to get rid of them but failed as he underestimated the strength of the one above him. "Let me move, Aki," Minato demanded, wanting nothing more than to move in rhythm with his love's hips, "Please." Several torturing moments passed before the boxer caved in, moving his hands to reach between the two pairs of hips. Skilled fingers unbuttoned the pants covering Minato then worked on his own. The clothing was killing him, and he knew it would be nicer, for his first time, if Minato was comfortable.

'Don't look down… don't look down,' he thought, forcing himself to not become self-conscious upon seeing how well endowed Akihiko would be by not bothering to look. He gave a breathy moan when he felt something hot against his erection. A blush attacked his cheeks when he realized what it was, and lifted a hand to comb his sweat-damped hair out of his face. "Aah… Aki…" he moaned, feeling the hot erection of his crush place itself against his groin and as Akihiko ground his hips against him. His pants and boxers slipped down passed his rear underneath him as Aki's hands forced the clothing down with an irritated groan.

"Hahh… Minato," the boxer moaned into his ear, following the rhythm of his love's hips and berating his neck with kisses and bites, leaving one bruised bite below his ear. He licked the scraped and abused skin lovingly, and realized how large of a hickey he'd left. Soon, it was hard to keep the pace going as both men's hips bucked erratically towards each other, searching for a desirable and inevitable end to the madness.

"Ah… Ak-…" Minato struggled, reaching his hands down to grip the man's sides as he forced himself roughly against him, leaving little, red half-circles on Aki's skin. "Aki!" his head slung back onto the mattress as he rode out his orgasm, Akihiko watching his expression and forcing his hips downward all the while. He felt his brows furrow and his teeth grit as he tried to hold back his own moans. The ecstasy and pleasured look on Minato's face sent him over the edge, knowing this was his and his alone. His short breaths brushed against the male's throat as Akihiko lowered himself onto the body beneath him. It was a stupid idea to lay on him, feeling their cum slide and slick between the two pairs of hips and their stomachs. Lifting his top half, he stared down at his friend.

"Akihiko," Minato breathed, coming down from his high. No words, just breaths and small accepting chuckles, exchanged what each other was feeling. Minato shot out his arm to grip the handle of the desk drawer closest to the bed. Aki lifted his body off of the other, fixed his pants, and frowned, realizing he hadn't taken his shirt off. He pulled the soiled clothing from his body and balled it up, tossing it to the floor with a shrug. Minato, however, had had his shirt opened, and therefore had an easier cleanup. A more embarrassing cleanup, but he didn't have to take his shirt off. With a small smirk, he pulled the shirt off anyway and threw it to the ground. He took a box of tissues from the drawer he'd opened and cleaned his stomach, leaning back on one hand to look down at his abdomen. Akihiko smirked at the stomach and chest that remained exposed, his hands itching to touch the soft skin.

The silver-haired male leaned back comfortably on his hands on the bed, watching as Minato placed the tissues back in the desk drawer and fix his pants. With a happy sigh, Minato moved his way to Aki and let his leg press against his in an affectionate way. A hand reached up to pet the blue hair before Akihiko landed a kiss atop his head. That same hand lowered to Minato's waist to pull him closer to breathe in his scent.

"Thank you," Minato whispered, resting his head against Akihiko's collar bone.

"I'm glad I'm your first," he replied, giving a genuine grin.

"For that, too," he chuckled, grinning wide. "I meant for the membership card. You really didn't have to. Plus it was mainly a scheme to make sure you weren't the stalker."

"I thought that was the melon bread scheme," Aki stated with a curious glance.

"Yeah, it was. But this was another one. I didn't think you'd get it for me," he shook his head, lifting a hand to scratch an itch that crept up beside his nose.

"So I can get my three thousand yen back?"

"Nope," Minato replied with a snicker before looking up at the other. He landed a small kiss on Aki's lips who happily returned the small kiss. "It's all mine," was whispered before he kissed him again. It was unclear to Akihiko, and Minato alike, whether he was talking about Akihiko or the card. He deemed it was about both.

* * *

><p>"Minato!" Yukari cheered, finding him swinging on the swing set at Naganaki Shrine. It was a nice place to be when there was nothing else to do.<p>

"What's up, Takeba?" he asked, not really feeling up to dealing with her. He'd awoken to an empty bed that morning, and hated how hollow it made him feel. He'd listened to every happy, rave, or just plain noisy, songs he could find on his mp3 player. When he got down to the living room, Akihiko was nowhere to be found, nor was he in his room. Figuring his leaving the dorms wasn't about him, Minato drug himself to the Naganaki Shrine. He'd been there for a couple of hours, and his stomach's growling had alerted him earlier to how long he'd been out there. The sickly man from before had left about an hour ago, but it still haunted Minato that there really wasn't much time to do anything for him.

"Just wanted to talk," she replied, finding her a spot in the swing beside her friend.

"I don't really feel like it," he muttered, staring down at the mp3 player in his hands to switch songs.

"It's okay," she said, standing and moving over so that she stood in front of him. He looked up at her, having to crane his neck as he was slouched comfortably in his swing. "I just want to give you another gift."

"Gift?" he questioned, staring up at her. 'Don't tell me… she's?' he thought, wondering whether to be surprised or not.

"Yeah," she uttered with an nod and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He was too deep in thought to realize what had happened before he stood, angry with letting himself fall for the trap. "There isn't much time before we have to fight Nyx, so I thought it would be best to have you healthy and eating right before the time came. Who knew that giving you food and drinks and such would offer such an irresistible invitation as to get to your heart."

"What?" Minato raised his voice, growing angry.

"You looked so happy when you ate the stuff I put in your locker, it made me so happy," she stated, noticing his angry and shrinking a little.

"Of course I was happy! I thought-!" 'I thought it was Akihiko giving them to me for a while,' he yelled in his mind as a voice caught him off guard.

"Minato," came a voice from behind him. He turned, seeing Akihiko standing perhaps ten feet away. He'd had his guard down so low he never noticed the man he was so deeply in love with approach him. And what a time to appear. "Is that how it is?" he asked as an angered, saddened, bothered, confused, and displeased look crossed his face all at once. "I need answers. Now."

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><p><em>To be continued... :D<em>


	4. One Thursday, Once Silence, & One Moment

Hey hey! I'm back with a lovely new chapter and this time there will be more answers than questions. I hope. Also, for those of you who are die-hard Persona 3 fans, don't murder me when I change the ending of the game in the next couple of chapters. It's just how it needs to be, alright? I cried when I realized Minato was dead, and I've wanted to know what the other character's perspectives were when they discovered the death.

On another note, this chapter will be mostly in Akihiko's POV because he's the one misunderstanding. Thank you to my lovely followers for reviewing and telling me that you hated the cliffhanger, I love you, too! XD It had to happen, lovelies. If you have hopes of reading my fan fiction again, I have two planned for after this one is finished. One is of _Godchild_, the other is _Kuroshitsuji_ (_Black Butler_) and they are both alternate universes. I love AU's. :D I hope you all look forward to reading it as much as I look forward to writing it!

By the way, I also draw a lot, which is what I'm going to college for, and figured I'd do a little something for those of you who are devoted followers. If you can tell me what video game, that is so very dear to my heart, seeped into this chapter, I will sketch something for you. Possibly an Aki Mina sketch. Tell me what game it is and what line. Also if you tell me who said it and who it was said to, then I might throw in some color in that drawing. Hint: this video game also has a movie!

I did not make Persona 3, nor do I make money off of my fantasies between the characters in the fan fiction below. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 4: One Thursday, Once Silence, &amp; One Moment<p>

"Minato," Akihiko barked, standing before the two at the swings, "What's going on?" It was clear he needed answers, but he was hoping that he hadn't been so stupid as to fall for a trap like this. After what they had done the night before, Akihiko was sure there was something between them. Before Minato, he never would have even considered falling for a guy. But it was the fact that Minato had something that could only be earned that intrigued the boxer to no end. His little grins, his chuckles, his small expressions, they were hard to read, but Akihiko found that it was the most fun he'd had in such a long time. And the expressions he'd made when he was feeling so much pleasure and so much desire, those looks were for him. In a way, Akihiko wanted to monopolize him, to make him so completely his, so that no one could soil those looks. For within the moment in time that Aki had laid eyes on the most pleasured Minato laying underneath him, he saw something so pure that even the Dark Hour couldn't touch it. And the moment he cried when Junpei had yelled at him, he knew it was his job to protect something so pure. Unfortunately, an obstacle had to shimmy its way between them, and it was forced into his mind that it was what needed to be taken care of first.

"Akihiko, it's not-"

"Not what it looks like? Really? You just kissed her and told her you were happy you got those presents from her. It's blatantly obvious." Aki's hands balled into fists at his sides as he tried to swallow what he thought was the truth. Feeling an icy sting in the pit of his stomach, the boxer stared his grey eyes into the sapphire pools before him. 'I feel like such an idiot,' he thought, wanting to turn and forget about what just happened.

"No," Minato sighed, hands wanting to reach up and pull his hair from it's roots. "I-I was thinking and she caught me off guard and I didn't mean to kiss her. I mean, I didn't kiss her. She kissed me, and-"

"What?" Yukari growled, staring at the blue-haired male with an angry look. "I thought you wanted to kiss me! You never stopped me!" She gave a sad and confused look, trying to fathom what was happening. "Everyday you were so happy when you ate the food I gave you, so isn't it obvious that you like the person who was giving you those things?"

"Yeah, but-"

"So why are we standing here? Apparently you like me as much as I like you," Yukari stated, hands on her hips as Akihiko watched what could look like a lover's quarrel.

"Isn't that right, Arisato?" He stopped using his first name, and the fact was killing Minato.

"Shut up!" Minato snapped to both of them, turning to the girl on the other side of him. "I liked the gifts, okay, I did. But only because…" he paused and turned to look his crush in the eyes, feeling guilty for not clearing this up sooner. "… because I thought they were from Akihiko."

Moments passed as Minato silently begged his love to understand what was going on. Akihiko sighed, loosening his hands and letting his shoulders relax. His body was almost completely tense as he raged inside himself, angry that he'd been played. "How come you always make me feel like an idiot, Minato?" he asked, almost in a playful tone laced with hurt. He felt his lips twitch into a small grin, trying to keep himself from laughing. What a huge misunderstanding.

"What?" the blue-haired boy breathed, staring at the man he loved. "I never meant to…"

Yukari shifted her weight during the long, tense pause shared between them. "I know you didn't. Every time I put something in your locker, I was happy enough to hug someone." Minato gave him a curious look as he continued, feeling his own body relax with a shift of his weight. He clasped his hands before himself twiddling his thumbs and fumbling nervously with his fingers in a patient and anxious manner. "And being with you last night made me the happiest person alive. Somehow, Minato, I'm content when I'm with you. In Tartarus or in some of the most hectic of places, I'm content.…"Aki continued quietly, "And I have absolutely no idea how you do it."

Yukari gave a confused look to the both of them and let a small sigh escape her lips. She watched as Minato gave something that resembled a hiccup and as tears overflowed from his eyes. "Akihiko, you made him cry! What's with you people? How come every conversation we all have together ends up in Minato crying?" she asked, going to comfort him. He darted away from her advances and instead, found himself pressed against Akihiko's chest with his face buried away from the eyes watching him.

"Minato," Aki cooed, petting his hair in attempt to comfort him. "Stop crying…" he whispered and lowered his head to kiss the blue hair. "Stop…" he murmured, feeling the fingertips dig into his chest by the man and wrapped his arms around him as he cried silently. 'I wish we had done this somewhere else,' he thought with a small sigh, 'This is mine, and mine alone. Why should Takeba have the privilege to see him like this?' He glared at her, knowing this was mostly her doing. "Go home, Takeba."

'He kissed him…' Yukari thought, watching the scene play out before her. She gave a silent nod and went to leave.

"Takeba!" Aki barked and shot her another glare. "Tell no one." She grinned in approval and nodded as she left the shrine. Turning his attention to Minato when she left, he felt the little jolts slowly disappear from the body he was holding.

It took a while for him to calm down, but Minato pulled himself a few inches away so he could speak. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, staring at the spot on Akihiko's chest that was now damp with tears. "I was sure I had lost you…"

Aki moved a hand, lifting the other's chin to look him in the face. "Not a chance," he retorted, whispering the male's words from the night before. He brushed the tear stained cheeks lightly with his thumb, and silently met Minato's lips with his own.

* * *

><p>"Here," Akihiko breathed, walking back over to Minato who was sitting comfortably on the bench outside of Octopia. "Eat this, you'll feel better. I think." He handed him a small paper box lined with parchment. Inside rested a tasty looking takoyaki stick. It was almost calling out to Minato as he reached for it. Even If he wasn't sure if it was actually octopus, he liked how it tasted and it was somewhat filling. "Got you a drink, too," Aki stated, setting the can of Cello Mist on the bench and sitting beside him. He glanced down at the Moonkist in his hand, noting how it tasted different from the one he had yesterday. With a shrug, he drank half of the can in a few swigs. Minato had nearly passed out after his crying spell on his love's chest. He hadn't eaten all day, not feeling up to forcing something down after he woke up alone.<p>

"Where were you this morning?" Minato questioned, taking another bite of his takoyaki so he didn't have to talk for a few moments.

Akihiko looked down at his drink and shrugged, unsure of what to say in a response. "A friend called me and I didn't want to wake you up so I left. You're really cute when you sleep," he replied, the last part ending in a whisper. Minato's cheeks burned lightly at the compliment, but grinned and finished his food in silence.

"Do you…" Minato paused to stand and toss the box and empty can in the trash can a few feet away. "Do you want to go back to the dorms? We can hang out in my room or something."

With a small chuckle, Aki stood and nodded, throwing his drink away as well and feeling his hand brush gently against the male's hip. It took everything Minato had in him to refrain from taking hold of the man before him and kissing him in front of everyone. Holding back, the two made their way quietly back to the dorms.

* * *

><p>"Minato," Mitsuru started, walking over and taking him by the shoulder. Akihiko stopped, turning to look back at them. They were nearly at the stairs when they heard her voice. "We have an exact number on how many floors there are of Tartarus. Two hundred sixty-two floors, and we're nearly there. I say tonight we make it up there and come back. No point in killing ourselves over Nyx, but we can at least get to the top. I'm sure there's an access point up there, but we just have to get to it."<p>

"Alright, it will be done tonight. Then afterwards, we'll let everyone have the week to themselves. It's only right for them to enjoy their time here," Minato replied. His words were harsh and gentle at the same time. These could very well be the last days they have to enjoy their time, and Minato felt it was only right that he got his time with Akihiko before he risked his life for the sake of the planet.

"Thanks, leader," Mitsuru said quietly and let go of his shoulder. It was almost as if she wanted to hug him, to tell him that everything was going to be fine after Nyx was defeated. She held herself together and walked back to the couch in the living room.

"Come on," Minato whispered, tugging on Akihiko's shirt sleeve to nudge him along. He wanted to spend his time wisely, and a wise choice for him was to be in bed with Akihiko. The boxer complied and followed him to his room. "Sit," the blue-haired male ordered, pointing to the bed.

"Demanding, aren't we?" Aki asked with a chuckle and obeyed, sitting on the edge of the mattress as he watched his friend close the door behind him. "It's cute when you're bossy."

A smirk curled on Minato's lips as he crossed the room and glanced at the clock. A blaring red, "3:43" glowed on the black screen and he took note of what time he was. He quietly moved himself to place a knee on either side of Akihiko's legs with his hands on the male's shoulders to steady himself. Aki lifted his hands to hold onto the man's hips with a growing smirk, liking where this was going. "You're so cute," Akihiko whispered, staring up at the now slightly taller male.

"Shut up, Aki," he breathed, pressing his lips to the others. He wasn't so sure what came over him, but in a moment, he'd decided that talking wasn't what he wanted to do. He wanted to revert back to the first days of school when he spoke to no one and simply melt into the man before him. 'You can't speak without your tongue,' he thought, sliding his tongue into the mouth that covered his own. Akihiko happily accepted it, and they battled for dominance. Minato unbuttoned his shirt with trembling hands and slid it from his body before going to work on removing Akihiko's, breathing through his nose so as not to let go of the kiss between them.

_Pii Pii Pii! Pii! Pii! Pii! P-!_

"Hello," Minato quipped, flipping his phone open and listening to the voice on the other line.

"Hey Arisato! It's Kenji. Can you talk?"

With a sigh, Minato closed his eyes as Akihiko bit down on his neck, kissing his perspiring skin. He refused to stop once Minato got him going, and he was keeping his word. "Yeah, I guess. What is it?" he asked, holding the phone out so Kenji didn't hear his quick breaths.

"A-Are you okay?" Kenji asked, hearing Minato's voice squeak a little at the end of his words.

"Yeah, yeah! What do you want? I'm kinda busy," he huffed, feeling his back arc when Akihiko placed his hand on his crotch, fondling him gently as he nipped and kissed his chest.

"Just wanted to know if you had the notes from the last chapter in history. I've lost mine," Kenji stated plainly, listening to what was happening on the other line.

"Yeah, I'll bring 'em to you tomorrow," Minato blurted, closing the phone and tossing it over his shoulder. It landed with a pleasant 'thud' and the blue-haired male wrapped his arms about Aki's shoulders, pulling him close. "Stupid people…" he hissed, letting a small moan escape his lips when he felt Akihiko's hand move on his crotch. He leaned in and nipped at Aki's bottom lip before kissing him, tilting his head to take his tongue hostage in his mouth. "Can't have any peace and quiet," he whispered, leaning back to tend to Akihiko's shirt. He wanted it off and soon. "That's why I didn't talk to anyone, didn't want to bother. Now I have people calling me at all hours, and Mitsuru bossing me around like I'm her pet. Why won't this-?" Minato rambled, growing angry with the shirt and finally resorting to ripping the shirt open, watching as buttons flew off to an undetermined location somewhere in his room. Akihiko sighed, lifting his hands to place one on each side of the man's face.

"Minato," he breathed, making the other stop. "What's wrong?" With a bothered look, he pressed his hand to Aki's chest and forced him onto his back. The other complied in silence, still a little worried about what was wrong with his friend, as he felt his hips being straddled by Minato.

"I have one week… and I plan to spend as much of my time with you," Minato whispered, feeling his eyes burn with tears. "Every time I think about Tartarus or Nyx… I can't help but want to cry. Akihiko, what if I die? What if you die?"

"No," Akihiko snapped, sitting up onto his elbows to look the other in the face. "No one's going to die… especially not you." It was difficult to soothe the other when he was being straddled, but Aki tried his best to comfort him.

With a small sigh, he tried his best to smile and act like nothing was wrong. "I'm stupid, I should listen to you. Of course no one's going to die, what was I thinking?" he muttered, leaning down to kiss at the others neck and collar bone. "I don't wanna talk anymore, Aki," and with that he reached a hand down to undo the male's pants, trying his best not to think about what he would have to go through.

"But… I want to know what's wrong," Akihiko stated, grabbing the others shoulder and stopping him.

"Akihiko, when I'm around you, the world seems to disappear. And last night was no different," he paused to place a gentle hand on the man's cheek and touch his lips lightly with his thumb, wanting more and more to kiss them. "I'm the leader of a group of high school kids who know how to kill. We fight monsters in a world that very few people know existed, and now I have to try to save the world without the people I love dying." With a pleading stare, and a defeated sigh from Akihiko, he whispered, "So please. Let the world disappear again." Akihiko stared up into darkened blue eyes for a moment before nodding in acceptance. Their lips met in a sickly sweet kiss, both men in realization that there was less and less time to be together. Every minute that passed seemed to be another knife in Minato's heart.

"Take your pants off," Akihiko breathed, separating their mouths to nudge the other off of him. Minato obeyed and stood, hands shaking for a moment as he undid his pants and let them drop to the floor. Aki nearly tore his off when the zipper got stuck, but he kept his cool and slowed his pace. 'He's so cute,' he thought, laying eyes on the embarrassed man standing before him with his gaze to the ground. "I ever tell you how cute you are?"

"Stop that," Minato groaned, covering his face with both hands and sighing, feeling the need to grab his clothes and run.

"Why? It's the truth," he whispered, grabbing one of his wrists and pulling him to himself. "C'mere," he breathed, grabbing the others hips and twirling the two of them. Minato stumbled only to catch himself and move onto the bed, hearing the small creak of the mattress as it accepted his weight. Crawling back some, he parted his legs, allowing Akihiko's hips between his thighs with a small smirk. Aki breathed a chuckle and let a hand trail up the man's thigh, teasing him as he reached the hand into the leg of his boxers. He crawled up onto the mattress and let his knees lift Minato's legs to accept his hips. Minato gave a small moan when he felt the other press their hips together, grinding down on his erection. A whine escaped Minato's throat when Aki pulled away, shifting their bodies so that they were completely on the bed. Akihiko was afraid he'd fall off the bed halfway through, and found it was simpler just to move them now. With that situation under control, the silver-haired male lowered himself to kiss at the chest and stomach presented to him.

"Ah… Aki…" Minato breathed, biting down on a knuckle on his fist when he felt a hot kiss on the tip of his erection. He quickly felt thankful for the hands holding his hips down as he knew he was going to try to thrust upwards. He tried once to test the security and grinned, knowing he'd be okay to try and buck. His hips weren't going anywhere. The hands holding him down made his back arch slightly when he felt the hot tongue slide down his shaft, biting down hard on his knuckle. The taste of metal seeped into his mouth and he pulled his fist away to replace it with both hands over his mouth. Closing his eyes, he felt his erection touch the back of the others throat and wanting to scream when he felt how wonderful it was to be swallowed. "Stop! Wai-!" he hissed, feeling the tenseness in his stomach and heat twisting itself into existence. "Aki!" he yelled, throwing both hands over his mouth in a hurry as he bucked his way through his orgasm. Who knew a blow job would be his demise?

Before the other could protest, Akihiko laid his body atop the one below him with a smirk. He'd spit the cum out of his mouth and into his hand, silently slathering his own erection in the white fluid. With what was left, he covered his fingers and lowered the hand to the tired man's rear through the leg of his boxers. "Minato," he whispered with a kiss. Grinning at him, he asked quietly, "Do you know how men have sex with each other?"

"Hah…" he thought for a moment in his daze before shrugging, "Kinda… not really… What you just did, right?"

"That's one way," he nodded, rubbing a wet fingertip against Minato's anal entrance. "And here's another."

"Where're you touch- Whoa!" the male hissed, feeling the finger enter him. "Hands don't go down there, Akihiko!" he groaned, clutching the blanket beneath him. His legs squeezed the body between them as his body tensed up.

"It'll get better, I promise," Aki reassured, moving his fingertip until the ring of muscles loosened for his finger to go further. Minato covered his mouth and closed his eyes, just wanting Akihiko to stop. "You have to relax."

"I can't with a finger in my butt," Minato grumbled, turning his head away and focusing on something else. The boxer took the opening as a small invitation and leaned forward, pressing his lips to the male's ear. "How the hell do you always find my weak spots?" he mumbled inaudibly to the other and tangled a hand in the silver, cropped hair. After a few moments he hissed lightly as another finger entered him, feeling the discomfort in the stretch. Aki allowed the male some time until he felt the ring of muscles relax around his digits. Forcing two fingers in wasn't easy, but he made sure to have the other stretched so he could take in three. When three was no problem, Akihiko proceeded to move his fingers inside the man. They'd started kissing, helping Aki to know that the man below him wasn't in much discomfort. In fact, he was sure he was enjoying himself as he had heard the little moans Minato allowed to let through. Curling his fingers, he felt the muscles around them tense up. "Ahh! Wh-… What the hell was that?" Minato blurted, feeling his body ache for more. Akihiko chuckled, rubbing his fingertips against the man's prostate with a smirk. Sliding his fingers out of Minato and removing the others underwear, the boxer took hold of his hips and positioned himself at his entrance.

"How much do you want to forget?" Aki asked, referring back to what Minato had said earlier.

A smirk crossed the blue-haired male's face as he stared up into steely grey eyes. "Everything," he whispered, not so sure what exactly he was getting himself into. His hand reached back to grip the sheets beside his head as his other hand covered his mouth. "Muph!" was the muffled moan he released into his hand as he felt his love slide into his stretched entrance. His back arched high and his hand gripped tighter when his prostate was attacked by Aki's erection. He let go, allowing his mind to travel into a dark abyss as his lover slid in and out of him. Every now and then, Minato could hear someone else's quiet moans and pants and for a second or two and he wondered who it was.

"Minato…" Akihiko breathed, lowering himself onto the other and thrusting deep into him. Figuring it would be nicer to be kissing the man moaning his name, Minato brought his arms to wrap around his neck. He forced the male's mouth open with his tongue, which seemed more fun than he'd imagined, and slid the organ into the mouth that quickly covered his own.

"M.. More," Minato huffed before kissing Akihiko again. "I can hear… myself think…" Akihiko took no time to dilly dally, and instead, forced himself deeper and harder into the inexperienced male beneath him. "Th-That's better…" he uttered as he felt himself reaching his limits. He wasn't sure when, but at some point, Minato had grown hard again in the nether regions. Akihiko felt his lower half heat up, letting the heat twist within him as he searched for his end. Hips bucked as he felt his erection be clenched by the others muscles, riding out his orgasm as he emptied himself inside the younger man below him. "Aki!" he called, feeling the hot mess within him as he fell into nothingness. It didn't go unnoticed that Minato had finished once again, either, as Akihiko resting his tired body on top of the blue-haired male turned out to be a bad idea.

Dazed couldn't even describe what Minato was feeling. Elated couldn't even describe what Akihiko was feeling. It was all wonderful and new and fresh that they both couldn't stand to be taken away from this bed, this time together. When Minato's phone rang, and he looked to the clock to see it had taken them nearly two and a half hours to do something so extraordinary, he sighed, laying comfortably on the bed beside his lover.

"I'll get it," Akihiko sighed, going to move.

"Don't…" Minato blurted, grabbing the man's arm and holding him where he was. "Don't ruin this… Whoever it is, they can wait." Nodding in approval, Akihiko laid back down on his side, facing the male beside him. Minato turned over and pressed his hands to the chest before him, glancing up at Aki for a moment before relaxing in his arms. It was too perfect.

* * *

><p>The rattle of the dorm building made Minato sit straight up. Apparently, he had fallen asleep. Akihiko was sitting at his desk using his computer to watch random videos on the internet. He looked to his boyfriend in the bed. Minato glanced down at his stomach and noticed he was clean, sighing lightly when he looked to the other. "What was that?" he asked, looking around in a groggy haze.<p>

"What was what?" Akihiko asked, looking back at what he was doing. He shifted comfortably in the desk chair. He'd put his boxers and pants on, but didn't bother to put on his shirt. It felt to hot to put it on anyways.

"Something… Oh, hell, I don't know…" he huffed, looking to the clock. It was nearly the dark hour, and he didn't feel up to going through more levels of Tartarus. At least once it was done they would have all week to enjoy themselves. Looking back down at where his head was laying he noticed his phone. Two missed calls blared brightly on the small screen on the front. "Oh… That's what it was." He chuckled and called Mitsuru.

"Hey, I'm heading over to Tartarus. I'll meet you there," Minato stated, snapping the phone shut and standing. Throwing some clean boxers on, he moved so he could stand behind the sitting Akihiko. Wrapping his arms about his neck and touching the toned chest gently with his hands, he pressed a kiss to the man's ear. "Come on. Let's get Tartarus over with," he whispered, kissing his cheek.

'Why can't you say you love me?' Aki thought, shutting the laptop and standing when Minato let him go. He threw his shirt on and followed the now clothed Minato out the door and to the living room. Junpei sat with Yukari as they talked quietly together.

'Why can't I tell him I love him like a normal couple would?' he wondered, the thought sticking to his mind like glue. "Let's go, you two," Minato ordered, combing his hands through his hair and out of his face. He was clean enough to know no one would notice what they'd done earlier, but he knew he'd want a long shower before bed.

* * *

><p>"And that's all of them, Arisato," Fuuka said through her persona. He sighed quietly, feeling the heavy weight of the bastard sword he was having to use since his long sword had broken.<p>

"Split up. Fight whatever there is, yadda yadda yadda," Minato said, trying to make it sound like an order. Mitsuru nodded and took off, Akihiko staying behind with the leader. Taking the earpiece from his ear, Minato cracked his neck, trying to stay alert.

A silence was shared as the pair walked, Akihiko falling far behind before pulling his own earpiece out and sighing. After what seemed like a lifetime of walking through corridors in the silence, Akihiko piped up. "I love you," he called, unsure if it was the time or place for it as he stopped in the middle of one hallway. Minato stopped and turned, staring at the other with a small blush on his cheeks, the tip of his bastard sword resting softly on the ground.

"I love you, too, Akihiko," he whispered with a grin. Akihiko smiled as he took his spiked gloves off, catching up to his love and lowering his lips to the others, kissed him in the darkness of the tower. This place was theirs. The ability to have a persona was theirs. The chance to save the world was theirs. And as the walls moved with an eerie feel and the moon glared through the tall windows of the top floor of the secret tower, the two men shared a moment that was theirs and theirs alone.

* * *

><p>Thursday.<p>

Minato had decided it was best to try and do all that he wanted in the last week he had. Unfortunately, his plans never seemed to play out the way he wanted. Monday was a complete disaster. Minato and Akihiko were enjoying their time together when Junpei decided to pay a visit. They threw their clothes on and gave a hefty sigh, not wanting others to be suspicious of them. They played their parts in the little charade in front of Junpei, saying that they were just hanging out. They flipped on the TV and watched some movie. Minato was too bothered by not getting any and trying to keep Akihiko from throwing the other guy out to notice what was on the television.

Minato slept in late on Tuesday, and Akihiko had a boxing match to attend, leaving the younger man to his own devices. It wasn't good, though, as the tired Akihiko had to finish Minato off after the man had failed at pleasuring himself. Apparently, Akihiko was way better at doing him than he was, and Minato made this fact known. It only took a few of minutes before Minato was finished and asleep. Akihiko gave up on getting any for himself and went to bed, tired and sore from the boxing match.

Wednesday. Ugh, Wednesday. They made a long trip through Tartarus, slashing through every monster with ease. It was Mitsuru's idea to run through the lower levels to gain experience, but Minato and Akihiko found it pointless. What does slashing through every weak enemy get them? Nothing. A big, fat pile of nothing. When they got back to the dorm, Minato and Akihiko had settled on at least a blowjob for each other, but they were quickly interrupted when Yukari felt the need to be nice and apologize for the misunderstanding that had happened. They gave up, just hoping that they would get the chance the next night.

Thursday.

Thursday would be a good day. Akihiko had decided he was bound and determined to get in Minato's pants whether someone was in the room or not, and it would take an act of Congress to keep him from his goal.

Thursday was going to be great.

* * *

><p><em><em>

_To be continued…_


	5. The Loss, The Battle & The End

So this is the end. As I've said before, to those of you following the story and are die hard Persona 3 fans and like the original ending, you're in for a disappointing end.

**So, no one answered the little contest for the sketch, so I'll put it up here again. I draw a lot, which is what I'm going to college for, and figured I'd do a little something for those of you who are devoted followers. If you can tell me what video game, that is so very dear to my heart, seeped into the fourth chapter, I will sketch something for you. Possibly an Aki Mina sketch. Tell me what game it is and what line. Also if you tell me who said it and who it was said to, then I might throw in some color in that drawing. Hint: this video game also has a movie! **

Alrighty, and on with the show! Or story…

I hope you guys are looking forward to my other stuff! Up next! Kuroshitsuji Alternate Universe! Like bands? Wanna see Sebastian belt out some awesome songs as a famous singer and Ciel as a fan in the crowd? Add me as a favorite author to read it when it comes out! :D

I did not make Persona 3, nor do I make money off of the fantasies between the characters in the fan fiction below.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: The Loss, The Battle, &amp; The End.<p>

'You busy?' Minato text, hoping his boyfriend would come running to aid him in his time of need. It was odd, really. Minato, nor Akihiko, never really said that they were going out. The younger male simply assumed, seeing as how they'd already confessed their feelings for each other and slept together, going all the way in a matter of days. In a sense, their relationship was purely sex, and it bothered Minato to know end. Well, besides the fact that he got the chance to have sex whenever the man was free, he was bothered. In any given time, Akihiko could happily accept the invitations and temptations of the girls at Gekkoukan High School, swiftly and silently leaving the blue-haired man in the dirt. He preferred not to think of it, and pressed the thought to the back of his skull whenever it came up.

_Voot! Voot!_

'No, I'm free. Your room?'

'Maybe he can read my mind,' Minato sighed, replying with a, 'Sure,' and closing the phone. 'No, I'm just predictable. But… what if I didn't want to have sex? That isn't true, but what if I just wanted to talk and watch TV with him?' he pondered, sitting quietly on the floor in front of his television and turning on the box, flipping through the channels to find something interesting when a knock was heard on the dorm room door. "Come in!" the male called and looked back over his shoulder, watching the silver-haired man walk in.

"Anything good on TV?" Akihiko asked, walking over after closing the door and sitting beside his friend. He sat, leaning his weight on his hands and stretching his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. 'This is new. Normally he's already on the bed with his legs apart. But this is nice,' he thought, glancing over at the other man.

"Not really. A movie, but I don't know what it's about," Minato muttered, shrugging and looking down at his hands. They were fumbling with each other, picking at the dirt under his nails in a nervous manner. Lifting his gaze, he stared up at the movie playing. The air around him was silent, tense, and it was nerve-wracking.

Akihiko moved his legs to his body and folded them Indian style, leaning forward and trying to seem interested in what was on the television. After a few moments, he looked to Minato who didn't seem to be paying attention. He hesitated a second and reached his hand over, landing it firmly on the man's thigh. Minato's gaze locked instantly to Akihiko's. For a split second, something told Minato to tell the other off, make him leave his room and just go to sleep now. Once the boxer's lips met his own, however, he gave in and leaned into him. It was one of the most memorable kisses Minato could recall. Then again, most of the times they were kissing was during sex, so it wasn't very easy to remember if they'd even kissed at all. Minato leaned towards him, placing his hand close to Akihiko on the floor behind the others back. Aki reached his other hand, the one furthest from Minato, to slide it up the man's thigh, teasing gently as he went.

'Perhaps,' Minato thought as he placed his hand on the man's knee, squeezing it gently with his fingers, 'This is the only way we can really communicate?' It was a silly thing to think, but it'd been bothering him since he first thought of this fact. They didn't talk much at all, and had very little in common. Whenever they spent time together, they always ended up in pleasurably compromising situations. Tilting his head and feeling their tongues twist about each other, he felt his thinking slowly fade. He gave a quick inhale through his nose when Akihiko's hand groped firmly at his crotch. With a small chuckle, Akihiko felt the other's kisses grow hungry, needy. Popping the button on Minato's pants, Aki slipped his hand underneath the two layers of fabric. Minato lifted the hand from the others knee and tangled his fingers in the silver, cropped hair.

'This is just what I was trying to avoid…' he thought with a sigh, tempted to pull away and try to put things in order. He continued on though, allowing himself more time to think. 'But this isn't bad. I mean, what's so wrong with doing what I want? I'm a horny teenager, no need to go off and love someone with all I've got.' He paused his thoughts when Akihiko pulled away, staring his steel, grey eyes into the darkened, blue pools before him. He moved his lips to Minato's neck, Minato tilting his head so the other had better access. Little shocks were sent through his body and he tried to steady his breaths.

"You're so cute, Minato," Akihiko whispered, nibbling on his ear with a smirk. His hand pushed the cloth away from the growing erection in Minato's pants and took hold of it with gentle fingers.

The blue-haired man attempted to focus on the television which blared about some crime show where a woman lay dead with a knife in her throat. "Hah.." Minato breathed, finding it hard to focus on much of anything besides the hand in his pants, stroking him slowly. The pace was killing him, and he was somewhat tempted to just do it himself. At least then the embarrassment would be over sooner. "Aki… Go faster. What if someone comes in… and sees?" he asked in a whisper, his breath hitching as his erection was stroked.

"Fun, huh?" Aki asked, giving a small smirk as he left a small hickey on the others collar. "The thought of getting caught. The thought of doing something you're not supposed to. I find it… exciting."

"Well…" Minato started, listening as a moan quietly escaped his throat, "When you put it that way."

"See?" he whispered, kissing underneath the man's ear affectionately. A smirk spread across his face when Minato reached a hand to his pants, trying to undo them as quickly as he could. With a cool hand, the blue-haired male took hold of Akihiko's own erection to stroke it with a quick hand. It was less than he wanted to do, but he figured he was being rude. Plus, he'd never really had the chance to feel his boyfriend's cock, and found this opportunity to be well worth it. When he thought about it, three fingers didn't really cut it, and he found himself wondering how the hell he'd managed to fit something this large inside of him. Thinking of this made his body ache for more than what he was being given, so he forced the wants away.

"Akihiko," he moaned lightly, pulling his hands away from him and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt. He pressed Aki's lips roughly to his own and fell back, taking the other with him to the floor. "Do it… Like before…"

Akihiko paused, finding himself easily making his way between the man's thighs. "Just that? You don't want to do like last time?"

"No, this is fine," he breathed, tugging the other down for a kiss.

Aki pulled away and frowned. "Really?"

Minato heaved a sigh and frowned, letting his head fall back with a 'thud' and closing his eyes. "Aki, do me…" he whined, shifting his legs when his erection rubbed uncomfortably against his boxers. "Aki…" he breathed, "Why do you keep fighting me?"

"Because," he started, shaking his head a little, "We've missed out doing this for three days now, and I thought you'd want it more. Admit it… you liked it."

"You know what? Nevermind," Minato replied with a smile, as if to say he wanted to go all the way. When he saw Akihiko beam with excitement, he lowered his hands and fixed his own pants. Shuffling his way out from underneath the man, Minato moved to the door. "Get out."

"What?" Akihiko questioned, standing and fixing his pants.

"You heard me. You keep thinking that I love you so much that I want to go all the way with you again. What if I just need a release? I've been tossed around and bossed by every person in this building. I'm not an idiot, Akihiko. Just because you say you love me, it doesn't mean I want you in my bed every night." 'That's not true at all…' he thought to himself, opening to dorm door.

"Minato, how can you say that?" Akihiko snapped, walking over to him in front of the open door.

"Because it's true. It doesn't matter, I'm probably gonna die in a couple of days anyway, and you don't need some homosexual fling to slow you down when I'm gone."

In that moment, something inside Akihiko switched, burning a small flame into a raging fire. Reaching out, he gripped Minato's forearms and dug his fingernails into his skin to leave little crescent moons in his skin. His brows furrowed as he grew angry, glaring into his boyfriend's eyes. "I never want to hear those words again."

"Then leave."

"No!" he barked, feeling his eyes burn. "You're not going to die. And who ever said that this was just a fling, huh? Who?" Minato felt dumb, shifting his glances to stare passed Akihiko's head. "You don't love me, do you, Minato? Is it really all one sided?"

"I don't know… You keep saying that one little phrase, and I'm astonished by how easily you can say it. It kills me that I told you I loved you before. I hate seeing you with other people, with girls that are cute, but I thought you never felt that way about other people. You were too cool to love someone like that, especially a guy."

"Why do you always consider yourself unworthy?" Akihiko piped up after a moment of silence, seeing Minato's expression remain unchanged. "Why is it that when someone likes you, you think that they're wrong to like you? Minato, no matter how long it takes for me to get you to understand, I'll make you believe me when I tell you that I love you."

"Prove it." Minato barked, frustration setting in as he glared at Akihiko.

"You have to let me," he breathed, loosening his grip on his arms to an affectionate hold and moving close to him, shifting a foot between Minato's to stand close. "Yeah, I've had sex before you came here. But only now do I realize how much it means to make love to someone. If what you're saying is true, that these are our last days…"

'What're they talking about?' Junpei thought, hearing the two talking as he left his room to get a drink from the vending machine in the lounge. He got a drink and walked slowly back towards his dorm, acting as if he was going to go knock on Akihiko's door when he glanced in. Eyes wide, he watched the two from a distance.

"… then why is it so bad to want to spend my last night with you?"

Minato sighed lightly, looking torn. "Aki, I don't know if I love you…"

"I'm not rushing you into anything," Akihiko replied, shaking his head lightly and combing the others hair out of his face. "We can still have a little fun, don't you think?" he asked with a chuckle. Minato chuckled with a genuine grin on his face, lifting his arms to wrap around Aki's neck and pull him close.

"Maybe your body can help convince me that I love you," he uttered with a small smirk.

'What… the hell?' Junpei thought, watching Akihiko press his lips to the other man's without hesitation. His skin crawled when Minato opened his eyes in the kiss, staring directly at him. 'Shit! He saw me!' He wanted to run, but it was as if his legs wouldn't move him. Minato smirked at Junpei when Akihiko moved his mouth down to kiss and nip at his neck, unaware of the person in the hallway. After a second of feeling his cheeks burning, Minato shot Junpei the bird and closed the door, leaving Aki and himself in private.

Junpei made his way downstairs, stunned and in a slight daze when he plopped down on the couch in the living room. He sat with Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ken, who all noticed he was in a bit of shock. "Don't…" he started, raising both hands slightly, as if to halt someone, "Don't go upstairs…"

"What?" Mitsuru questioned with a chuckle, looking up from her book.

"If you don't want to be scarred for life, don't go upstairs."

Yukari instantly knew what was going on. She moved to Junpei's side and convinced him to whisper what he'd seen upstairs to her. She nodded with a sigh as she sat back down in the small arm chair she'd occupied earlier. "Yup, don't go upstairs for a while. You, too, Ken. Especially you."

"Why? Minato watchin' dirty movies?" he asked with a hearty laugh. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat when Yukari gave him a look.

"Be quiet, Ken, you're too young to be saying those things," Yukari replied, trying to hide the situation.

* * *

><p>"Aki…" Minato moaned the others name when hips ground roughly against hips. He wanted to pull away, the awkward feeling in his pants growing uncomfortable, but was unable as he was pressed against the wall near the door.<p>

"So… how far can I go?" Akihiko asked in a whisper as he undid the buttons on Minato's shirt, sliding it off of his shoulders afterwards. It hung loosely at his elbows after Aki tugged on it, exposing his chest to him.

"Shut up. Just… Just do whatever 'til I say not to," he breathed, letting his eyes close and a moan escape his throat as he felt the hand on his erection.

"Alright then," he hissed, grabbing the others shoulder and flipping him around, pressing him against the wall with his own body. "You said it," he breathed as he used his foot to spread the man's legs in front of him. He gave a smirk when Minato shifted uncomfortably, forehead resting against the wall and lifting his hands to press his palms against the barrier before him. Lowering a hand, he wrapped it around the man's hips to grip the erection protruding from his falling pants. With a small moan, Minato forced his hips back as he tried to escape the tempting touch. He shuddered lightly when he felt the bulge in Akihiko's pants press against his rear. It was hard to decide whether to push forward and deal with the pleasurable hand, or to pull away from the hand and deal with the awkward feeling of his boyfriend's erection being so close to his ass. The latter made him seem as if he was playing hard-to-get, so he felt it was right to go with that.

"Nhn…" Akihiko groaned, trying to keep up his composure. He smirked and ground into the male's rear, watching as Minato closed his eyes and gave into it. His hand came back to stroke his erection, locking Minato in between his erection and his hand.

"Hah! H-Hands don't go there…" Minato hissed after feeling Akihiko's hand reach in between his hips and his rear to press a fingertip into his entrance. He balled his hands into fists and let them press against the wall as embarrassment washed over him. His cheeks burned, his body shook, and his mind fought with him as he tried to figure out whether to pull away from the finger or to just plain give in. "Fuck…" he huffed, sweat trickling down his neck as he felt his body shaking. "Hurry up…"

"Hush…" Akihiko whispered as he worked, fitting in another finger with ease. "You have to do me a favor…"

"W-What?" Minato asked, looking back over his shoulder at the other.

"You don't want me to take you dry, right?" Aki asked, being very blunt about what was going on. "Suck me…" he whispered, leaning forward to whisper it into Minato's ear. Minato let his body shake one last time when Akihiko let him go, feeling an awkward emptiness when the fingers left him. Turning, the blue-haired male knelt and undid the man's pants with trembling hands, removing the hard cock from underneath the boxers. He refused to look up at the other as he did this, taking it into his mouth and sliding his tongue down the shaft. Akihiko gave a tiny moan and leaned forward, pressing his hand against the wall to steady himself.

'This is so awkward… But it'll hurt if I don't take care of it…' Minato thought, being thorough with what he was doing and licking the erection from base to tip, slathering it as well as he could in his spit.

"Th-That's enough… Minato," Akihiko stated, pushing the other away. Minato stood, wiping his mouth on his wrist before turning around and pressing his hands to the wall as they were before. "You're so…" he breathed, meeting the other half way and pressing his hips into the backside of the male before him, "… cute." He pressed the tip of his erection into Minato, slowly pushing himself in. Minato collapsed forward, pressing his forehead against the wall along with his forearms as he squeaked out what sounded like a moan and strangled breath put together.

"Damnit, Aki!" he huffed, trying his best to relax. It took a moment but finally, his muscles relaxed and allowed the intrusion in. His body shuddered when he felt the erection slide in deeper, making his nails dig into the paint of the wall. His knees shook as his prostate was ambushed, knowing he was going to fall at any given moment. "I-I'm gonna… fall…"

"I've got you…" Akihiko replied quickly, wrapping one arm around to press his hand to the others chest while the other hand gripped the neglected erection, giving it a few strokes in attempt to make this a little nicer for Minato. Upon hearing the approving moans from the man before him, Akihiko pressed his erection deeper, pulling out slowly only to dive back in.

"N-No…" Minato groaned after a few pleasurable minutes, feeling his lower stomach twist with heat as he was reaching his end. He held it in with everything he had, barking back a, "Go faster," to the one behind him. Aki complied, thrusting into his boyfriend at full force. He reached forward, pressing his palm to the wall as he attempted to steady himself. He felt his own end growing near with every thrust.

Minato shut his eyes tight, huffing out moans with every thrust Akihiko forced into him. "Ahh-…Aki!" he moaned, letting himself release and let his orgasm take over. After a moment, he realized that there was nothing to catch his mess, no hand was on him as he came. 'Oh damn… How much more embarrassing could this get?' he thought, feeling Akihiko cum inside him only a few seconds after himself. Akihiko sighed, trying to slow his breaths. He pulled out and fixed his pants, pulling Minato's up as well, feeling rather guilty for taking him in such an embarrassing position. All guilt washed away when he saw the small smile on Minato's face, grinning wide himself. The blue-haired male turned, pressing his back against the wall and resting for a moment, a hand placing itself on his chest as if to try and slow down his breaths.

For one second, Minato wanted to tell him he loved him. He stopped himself when he realized the impact those words would make on the other. In a way, he felt silly for being embarrassed about reaching his end with just Akihiko and not a hand on him. It was as if he was being told that he could be pleasured in other ways. It felt as though that act was impossible, but Minato was happily mistaken.

"You okay?" Akihiko asked, leaning on the wall beside him.

With a nod, Minato chuckled, feeling almost as if he were floating. "I'm great… I need a shower, though." He looked to his boyfriend and leaned on his shoulder. Subtly, Minato slipped his hand into Aki's, holding onto his pinky and ring finger lightly. Akihiko returned the small grip, leaning over and landing a small kiss to the top of the others head.

Akihiko waited until his breath had caught up with him before he leaned over, to whisper a small, "I love you," to the tired Minato. He grinned with a blush and looked away after this fact slipped into his ear. It was a hard pill to swallow, but he felt something inside of his stomach flutter when he heard this small phrase from the other man.

* * *

><p>"Minato!" Akihiko yelled, watching as the man fly back. Nyx had used a powerful attack on the blue-haired male, knocking him back several yards. "Get up!" he barked, standing on unsteady legs. He lifted a hand, touching the blood dripping from his nose and glancing at it only for a second. He wiped it on his shirt and turned to his leader. "Ahh!" he screamed, his back being hit by a powerful slash attack by Nyx. His mind went blank as he fell unconscious on the floor.<p>

"No!" Minato screamed from his place on the floor. The yell took all the strength from him as he rolled onto his side, watching as his friends were picked off one by one. 'Heal yourself… Heal yourself…' he thought, healing himself with a a Chewing Soul before being hit by another attack by Nyx. He refused to die.

'_Arisato! You can do this!' _Mitsuru's voice called to him.

'_Minato! You can't give up just yet!" _Ken called out to him.

'_This can't be too hard for you! I know you can do it!' _Junpei…

'_I've never doubted you…'_ Akihiko.

Several others voiced their encouragement to Minato, edging him on to defeat the mother of all shadows.

With what strength he had left, he used his remaining Revival Beads to bring the others back. Using his last Chewing Soul on himself, he stood, stumbling his way over so he stood before his comrades in front of Nyx. He swallowed hard, staring up into the eyes of the demonic being before him. Spreading his arms out wide, as if to guard his friends from further harm.

"Or-…" Minato choked, coughing in his mouth for a moment, tasting a metallic liquid force itself up out of his stomach. He calmed himself and started over. "Orpheus… Telos!" he screamed, feeling as if his soul was being torn from his body. He turned to Akihiko and mouthed three words to him before giving himself up to seal the beast, his throat giving out a scream and his tears streaming down his cheeks. All that Akihiko could remember when it was over was a bright light, the feeling of guilt, and three words.

"I. Love. You."

* * *

><p>'It's bright…' Minato thought, letting his eyelids drift open. White and blue… and a window, a blanket, and beeping. He lay there, sore and stiff in a hospital bed. He tried to sit up, but found his hand caught underneath something. That something made him grin, as he landed his gaze upon the sleeping Akihiko at his bedside. "Aki…" he whispered, feeling his throat restrict anything louder. "Aki… Wake up…"<p>

With a small groan, he sat up in his chair before smiling wide. "Minato!" he cheered quietly, standing and taking the man's hand in his own. Aki's hand was wrapped in bandages, and he winced when he strained it to greet the groggy man. "I'm so glad you're awake.."

"What happened?" Minato whispered, swallowing with a grimace. The fluids the doctors had been giving him had dried out his mouth and he groaned when he saw the tubes and needles in his hands.

"There was an explosion in the science lab. We got caught in the middle of it since it was during our block," Akihiko replied. Minato nodded, taking the information wholly.

His memory was blank. There was no recollection of what had actually happened, but there was also no recollection of what happened in the science lab. Who was to say that was what actually happened?

"Oh… Seems like it was something… bigger," he shrugged, feeling like he'd done something unspeakable, or impossible.

With the loss of their memories came the acceptance of a false truth. Along with her defeat, the people who had known about her existence were graced with a false memory, one that seemed more believable. Unfortunately, feelings could not be erased. How Akihiko had met Minato was changed. The memory of their time together was gone. Their feelings, however, didn't change. Nyx was unable to tap into those parts of the mind, almost as if it was forbidden to her.

"Akihiko," Minato breathed, gripping his uninjured hand in an affectionate way. "I… I love you…"

With a small smile, and a look as though he was going to cry, Akihiko chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed. Leaning forward, he placed a ginger kiss to Minato's dry lips. He combed the man's hair out of his face and grinned, replying with a small, "I love you, too." He stood when a nurse came in to give take his vitals.

"Aki, are you leaving?" Minato asked quickly as if he didn't want him to leave.

A chuckle left his lips as he shook his head lightly. "Not a chance."

* * *

><p>It'd been nearly two weeks since Minato had returned to the dorms, taking on his regular routines with the swim team, his friends, and his boyfriend. Minato sat up after hearing his bedroom door open and close. He stood, throwing his school uniform on and walked out into the hallway as curiosity sank in. He noticed striped clothing turning the corner as the figure headed downstairs. Obediently following, he reached the living room where several silver suitcases sat upon the coffee table. Something told him to look inside, which he did, and stare down at the object inside. Within the suitcase rested a pistol cradled in formed foam and a gun holster. Without a second though, Minato strapped the holster to his waist and slid the gun into its place. He grabbed the others and ran upstairs, following the figure again. He banged on every door he came to, handing the suitcase to every person who answered his knocks with a, "Take these."<p>

"Minato…" Akihiko started, staring down at the gun. A switch flipped within him as he realized what was happening. It was all coming back. There was no explosion. They all didn't have chemistry together during the same block. It was coincidence.

"Follow me!" Minato called, spotting the striped figure to the roof. Footsteps followed close behind him. They all halted, Yukari falling over, as the building shook. They watched as the lights flickered to an eerie green. The Dark Hour was upon them. Minato grabbed Akihiko's hand and tugged him along, still obediently chasing after the striped child as if he were Alice chasing the White Rabbit. With the others on his heels, Minato thrust open the door to the roof.

"Minato…" a little boy started, speaking with a creepy look on his face. "Let's start over. The end…"

"What?" Minato breathed, glancing at the black, shadowy hands that reached up to grab onto the edge of the building. Pulling itself up, the monster showed itself and counted how many people were there. It shook as if it were laughing, and waved a hand in the air to signal the other shadows to climb up. Before they knew it, shadow upon shadow climbed its way up onto the roof, halting their advances when Pharos raised a hand.

"The end… is back," the boy spoke, signaling the shadows to attack.

"SEES," Minato called, looking back at the crew of people behind him on high alert, "is back in business!" The man placed end of the barrel of the gun to his temple and called his persona out, shooting himself without hesitation.

'_Thou art I… and I am thou...'_ the being stated as it made its way out of Minato's mind. With a slash to several oncoming monsters, Thanatos turned to Minato. '_I exist for thou. No matter how the End may rear His head, I shall be here for thou. I am Thanatos, and I shall protect thou!" _

"Thanatos!" Minato called, the persona turning to kill several more shadows. "Protect us all!" He grinned, almost maniacally, as he heard he firing of the others using their evokers to bring out their own personas. This was what he was born for. Minato recalled when the others had spoken to him in his time of need, when he was fighting Nyx. Reaching over, Minato took Akihiko's hand in his, knowing that having your friends and loved ones was the most important thing to have to get through tough times. No matter how much charm, intelligence, or courage he gained, none of it was as important as the friends he'd made.

The End was back, but SEES was back stronger than ever.

* * *

><p><em>The End. <em>


End file.
